Yahoo News Hit or miss: Rating Middlesbrough's 18 signings since Michael Carrick's arrival
Middlesbrough are in the middle of their latest summer recruitment drive, with two arrivals already confirmed this summer and a third in Aidan Morris understood to be close.
After signing 15 players in total last term, Boro aren't planning a huge squad overhaul this summer. They already have Luke Ayling and Delano Burgzorg in before the start of pre-season, are close to signing Morris, and will then monitor the market for a striker and a potential return for Ryan Giles.
This was always going to be a key summer for Boro given their ambitions for the upcoming season and, with less work to do on their squad, it has allowed them to be far more focused than in the last summer, which is hoped will lead to more successes as far as their recruitment is concerned.
READ MORE: Aidan Morris, striker and more - where things stand on Middlesbrough transfers after great start
Head of football Kieran Scott famously said he felt his work really started now after Carrick's arrival, and that was in large due to the fact he finally felt he had a head coach who bought into the club's strategy. Recruitment has taken a clear road in the three windows since, with a large emphasis on young talents and hidden gems from foreign markets where better value is often found.
In total over those three windows, Boro have brought in 18 players. Ranking them all as hits or misses, we've concluded that the recruitment team have a really positive record so far, with more good transfers than bad, which is a good sign ahead of this summer. Highly unlikely to ever get every transfer right, Boro will certainly hope to continue having more hits than misses.
Hits
Cameron Archer - Signed on loan from Aston Villa in January, Archer provided exactly what was needed at that time. He scored 11 goals to help Boro reach the play-offs. The only downside was that his stick rose so much that there was unfortunately then no realistic prospect of re-signing him as he made an £18m switch to Sheffield United.
Aaron Ramsey - Similar to Archer, Ramsey arrived on loan from Villa in Carrick's first January window and provided much-needed attacking talent which ultimately allowed Boro to cash in on Duncan Watmore with just six months remaining on his contract. Ramsey provided unpredictability for Boro's attack and when his season ended early through injury, his absence was felt.
Again, a Premier League move last summer left little prospect of a Boro return. It was the only downside to both Archer and Ramsey deals, with the club trying to move away from such loan deals now they find themselves in a better position squad-wise. At the time though, they were much-needed additions who added obvious quality.
Seny Dieng - After a really successful loan from Man City, replacing Zack Steffen last summer looked a huge task. In Seny Dieng, they took a risk on a keeper who hadn't had a great season at QPR and it certainly paid off. He made the transition into the Boro side a seamless one to cement his position as first-choice.
Tom Glover - The Aussie keeper won't necessarily be considered a clear-cut hit, especially given a couple of costly errors during his run in the side cost Boro some valuable points. But those couple of moments aside, Glover was an otherwise solid deputy for Dieng, allowing Boro to loan out Zach Hemming and Sol Brynn for another year of regular game time for their development.
With Boro needing to move two keepers on this summer, Glover is the most likely to be through the exit door this summer given his own desires to play regular football. Having signed him on a free and now potentially selling him for what would be a decent fee, Glover can be considered to have worked as a transfer for multiple reasons for Boro.
Jamie Jones - Though Jones is yet to make a competitive appearance for Boro, the former Wigan captain's contributions as a third-choice goalkeeper shouldn't be downplayed. As well as an experienced voice in the dressing room, he's also been a positive support for Boro's other keepers and that's exactly why they want him to stay another year if he recovers from his current injury.
Rav van den Berg - Arguably the biggest hit on the list. Boro beat top European clubs to land the young Dutch defender last summer and he quickly showed Boro fans exactly why there is so much interest in him. A mature head on a young set of shoulders, Van den Berg was a deserving double award winner last term as Player and Young Player of the Year.
Alex Bangura - Bangura's placing on this list was a tight call after a largely frustrating first year on Teesside. Those frustrations were nothing to do with his performances, however, and more so his lack of availability due to injury. Boro will hope he can put that behind him next season because when he did play he looked really threatening attacking the left flank and could turn out to be a real find.
Morgan Rogers - Frustratingly, Boro didn't get to see Rogers' best too often given his spell at the Riverside ended up being so brief. He was only really starting to show consistent form as he left for Villa in January, having previously shown flashes of quality among largely inconsistent form. Alas, making over £10m guaranteed, with potential add-ons too, on a player signed just six months prior for a little over £1m has to be considered a huge hit for business.
Emmanuel Latte Lath - Similar to Bangura, Latte Lath was having a frustrating first season on Teesside initially as injuries disrupted his impact. However, returning at the end of February, the Ivorian started Boro's last 13 games and scored 11 goals in a great run that meant he ended his first season in England with an impressive 18 goals.
Luke Ayling - A January arrival that proved Boro's recruitment isn't one-dimensional and will divert from the ideal strategy when needed, Ayling came in on loan to cover for the injured Tommy Smith and quickly established himself. After getting up to speed, he provided eight assists in his final 11 games and that form meant it was hard to ignore him this summer as they quickly worked to turn his loan into a permanent transfer as his Leeds United contract expired to make him available.
Finn Azaz - Another January addition, Boro paid around £2.5m to land the forward from Aston Villa after 18 brilliant months on loan at Plymouth Argyle. While he took a little while to settle and didn't ever quite capture his Argyle form at Boro, he ended the season looking much better and showing signs of linking really well with Latte Lath in particular. Next season feels an important one for him.
Misses
Dan Barlaser - It's perhaps a little harsh to include Barlaser on the misses list after taking on increased significance last term due to injuries. There were some solid performances last term and, when at his best, he showed real potential to be a controller for Boro. However, those performances didn't come often enough.
After 18 months at the club, he's still yet to push for a regular starting spot when everyone is fit and will be pushed further down the pecking order with the arrival of Morris. Trabzonspor are interested in signing him and are in talks with Boro over a fee as his time at the Riverside appears to be coming to an end.
Lukas Engel - Another who could easily be spun as a success for Boro, particularly given the relatively low fee paid to land him. His time at Boro started horrifically but, to his credit, he showed immense character to overcome that and enjoyed a bright spell in the side in the mid-third of the campaign. He lost form towards the end of the season, however, and it has to be said that, unless huge improvements are made, he doesn't look a player good enough to be a regular promotion-chasing side.
Luke Thomas - Brought in on loan from Leicester City as Bangura suffered another injury that at that time was feared to end his campaign, Thomas was looking to recover from a disappointing first half of the season at Sheffield United. He never did quite manage that though and the early promise he showed when breaking through from the Foxes academy didn't shine through on Teesside in a disappointing loan spell.
Lewis O'Brien - O'Brien's position on the miss list is largely due to the fact that he spent much of last season injured. And while, like Bangura, who was rated a hit, he did impress when he did eventually get back, O'Brien goes on the miss list because he ultimately wasn't able to provide what he was brought in for.
Through no fault of his own, O'Brien couldn't showcase the quality that made him on the best Championship midfielders at Huddersfield two years ago, with Boro working hard last summer to secure his services for that reason.
Sam Greenwood - The kind of loan signing Boro will prefer moving forward, Greenwood arrived from Leeds in a deal that gave them the option to sign him permanently. It started well for the Wearsider and his free-kick against Leicester ended up winning the club's Goal of the Season award. However, his form dipped after that goal and he didn't ever really recapture it as Boro ultimately decided against pursuing their purchase option.
Alex Gilbert - One that comes with a huge asterisk attached because, in ending the season well, Gilbert has at least shown his potential after arriving on a free from Brentford last term. For much of the season, however, the young forward was frustrated by his lack of game time and he might yet spend next season out on loan as a result. For now, it's hard not to place him on the miss list, though it should be said that in time, he has the potential to grow into a massive hit for Boro, who retain plenty of belief in him.
Sammy Silvera - Similar to Gilbert, Silvera has shown flashes of potential that could turn him into a hit with time. However, he is a little older than Gilbert and it remains to be seen whether he well get that time at Boro or not. For the odd flash of quality, there were far more frustrating moments for the Aussie forward who was raw, to say the least.
He is hungry to impress and Carrick has described himself as 'excited' by his potential. But Silvera faces a huge summer and must show big improvements if he is to stay a Boro player next season. While he goes down on the miss list, it should be noted that he was always considered a low-risk gamble for the club anyway, with the fee to land him believed to have only been around £500k.
