After seven seasons in the Championship, Middlesbrough have been promoted back to the Premier League.

With Middlesbrough's long-awaited return clinched on May 7th 2016 in a 1-1 draw - Brighton, chairman Steve Gibson is determined to make a splash and show other top-flight clubs that Middlesbrough are not just in the Premier League to make up the numbers.

Gibson has set out his stall early with Middlesbrough looking set to sign Danish winger, Viktor Fischer.

Fischer, who had previously been linked to clubs such as Manchester United and Bayern Munich, has agreed a deal to join Aitor Karanka's team for a fee of around £3.8 million.

The size of fee may surprise people given the fact Fischer was rated so highly only a couple of years previously.

What can Boro fans expect to see from the Dane?

The reason Fischer was previously rated so highly was due to his cavalier style of attacking play.

He enjoys cutting in from the left flank and scored 11 goals in all competitions in the 2015/16 season for Ajax.

Playing on the left-hand side as a right-footed player has its advantages, as Middlesbrough saw in the 2015/16 season when Albert Adomah took up the left midfield role and provided assists for goals such as Cristhian Stuani's against Ipswich away and Kike's opener in the 3-0 away victory at Brighton.

While Fischer also notched four assists last year, his right foot is more predominantly known for scoring goals. The ability to use his right foot on the left flank is also why he is known for laying the ball off from wide areas, and with the overlapping runs of George Friend, this would open up space for Fischer to come inside.

Right-footed players on the left hand side have become almost a fashion of late, with big names such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Marco Reus playing in such a manner.

While Fischer is not seen as lightning fast, he makes up for it in his ability to dribble. He is very strong in this department and has caused Eredivisie defenders countless problems over the past four years.

These were the qualities which made Fischer one of the hottest properties in 2013/14 and are what caused Ajax to pay £925k to FC Midtjylland's Under 19s in 2011. 

One reason that Fischer didn't get the move to a 'top' European club was his injury.

An injury-hit 2014

A hamstring injury and a subsequent operation meant that Fischer missed over a year, only making his recovery in March 2015 after incurring the injury in Feburary of the previous year.

Fischer missed 78 Ajax games and this meant many teams would not look to take him in case another such injury occurred.

He did recover, however, and - despite the arrival of another left winger in Amin Younes in 2015 - Fischer played 39 times for Ajax in the following season.

Interest from Teesside

Despite the interest from other major clubs in Europe, with immesurably bigger pulling power than the Teessiders, scouts at Middlesbrough have been looking at Fischer for around five years now, according to local paper the Gazette.

The signing of Fischer would have been laughed off by those sat in the stands at Middlesbrough in 2011. But with the opportunity that the Premier League offers players, along with the fact that the TV deals secured by the Premier League mean any promoted side is immediately put into the top 30  richest clubs in the world just shows the immense impact England's top divison has on football around the globe.

Steve Gibson promised that a vast majority of the money gained from promotion would be pumped into transfers, but if his scouting team including Victor Orta, Gary Gill and Neil Bausor can carry on signing players of Fischer's quality for the same price, then Boro may not need all £150+ million they have in the kitty.

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Dom Brown
Writer for VAVEL, Trainee Sports Journalist at Leeds Trinity University. Middlesbrough fan since 1997