The winter arrival of Jordan Rhodes (£6.0million) from Blackburn Rovers proved pivotal to Middlesbrough’s promotion from the Championship last season.
Snapped up on the final day of the transfer window, the Scotland forward delivered six goals and two assists in 18 appearances as the Teessiders finished runners-up, four points behind Burnley.
Having worked his way through the lower leagues, Rhodes has a lack of top-flight experience. Aitor Karanka, the Boro manager, has compensated for this by acquiring Alvaro Negredo from Valencia.
Priced at £6.5m, the Spaniard has previously flourished in the Premier League. In 2013/14, he got nine goals and five assists for Manchester City in 32 top-flight outings, finding the net every 202 minutes.
Crucially, Negredo looks the ideal target man for Karanka’s style of play.
Despite achieving promotion, Boro averaged just 52.1% possession in last season’s Championship and, back in the top flight, they are expected to sit back and soak up pressure before hitting on the counter-attack.
Negredo’s strength and ability to hold up the ball looks vital to this approach and will allow midfielders such as Gaston Ramirez (£5.5m) and Viktor Fischer (£5.5m) to link up with the attack, making runs beyond the opposition defence.
Although Rhodes ended pre-season as Boro's top scorer with five goals, Negredo has been quick to make an impact, netting in two of his three starts.
He looks set to be named in the first XI for Saturday’s visit by a Stoke City side that had just five away clean sheets in 2015/16.
Given that Mark Hughes’ side conceded 49 headed attempts on their travels, the fifth worst in the top flight, Negredo’s ability in the air looks a likely key weapon for Boro.
Owned by 10.9% of FPL managers, he is the third-most popular forward priced at £6.5m and under. With encounters against Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace to follow in the first four Gameweeks, it may not be long before Negredo barges his way into more three-man frontlines.
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