When Middlesbrough were relegated from the Premier League in 2017, they made a major splash in an attempt to return at the first opportunity.

The incomings did not stop in the dugout, as Boro were serious about the transfer window, utilizing their parachute payment money to build a side capable of challenging for the division title.

Jonny Howson, Ashley Fletcher, and Martin Braithwaite were all brought in for reasonable prices, but Britt Assombalonga was the standout, with Middlesbrough breaking their transfer record by buying him from Nottingham Forest for £15 million.

The Congolese forward had just completed a 14-goal season at the City Ground, helping Forest narrowly avoid relegation. That was his first full season back after a knee injury sidelined him for more than a year.

Forest would have been disappointed to see him go, but the money at the time was right for someone who might have easily been injured long-term again, and the Reds utilized that money to help steer them further and farther away from the bottom three, eventually earning promotion in 2021/22.

He was a decent forward for Boro, but he never dominated the league at the Riverside and was unable to help his team return to the top tier.

Britt Assombalonga spent four years with Middlesbrough.

Prior to joining the Riverside, Assombalonga had scored 30 goals in 62 Championship outings for Nottingham Forest.

He had never played more than 32 games in a season, and there were anticipation that if he could stay fit for 40-46 games, he’d score in the 20s, like he had done in his only League One season with Peterborough United.

Middlesbrough risked on that expectation, but it did not pay off.

This is not to claim that Assombalonga was a failure during his four years at Riverside. With three consecutive campaigns in double digits, he will be regarded as a reliable forward option at Boro. However, the club did not shatter their record pay for a reliable alternative; they desired something unique.

Middlesbrough finished in the top six in their first season back in the second division, taking fifth place with 76 points.

They scored 67 goals, with Assombalonga scoring 15 of them, matching his season-high goal tally in the Championship, although there was some frustration because 12 of the 15 came in the first half of the season, with only three coming in the second half.

Unfortunately, he was unable to regain his scoring form in the play-offs, as Boro scored none in their 1-0 aggregate loss to Aston Villa in the semi-finals.

The following season, Middlesbrough scored 18 fewer goals as a team, but Assombalonga remained consistent, scoring 14. Ultimately, the Championship grew stronger in the 18/19 season, and Boro finished outside the top six despite scoring only three fewer points than the previous season.

Middlesbrough had only been in the Premier League for a year before being relegated, therefore they earned no parachute payments in their third year, and the team declined significantly, placing 17th.

Assombalonga still scored 11 goals that year, but the writing was on the wall for promotion back to the top division. The club settled into a mid-table position, and after a five-goal season in 2020/21, Boro released him when his contract expired at the end of the season.

Britt Assombalonga never lived up to the hype of a record-breaking transfer with an underperforming Middlesbrough team.

No one at Middlesbrough considers Assombalonga a flop; he simply never lived up to the expectations that come with a record-breaking striker signing. Many people would have considered him a good signing if he had came to the Riverside for half the price and produced the same results.

Similarly, if Boro had won promotion at the first attempt in the 2017/18 season, Assombalonga’s goals would have been cited as a trigger, cementing his status as a superb buy.

Finally, the amount of the sum, along with the squad’s failure in their first years back in the Championship, ensures that the Congolese striker’s time at the Riverside will not be remembered fondly.

Assombalonga will be regarded as a competent striker for Middlesbrough, having scored 47 goals in 161 games. But with a record that still stands eight years later, Boro were expecting far more than “decent” from their new £15 million signing.