Boro missed out on promotion after being defeated by Coventry City in the play-off semi-finals last season, and their inconsistency is likely to cost them in their pursuit of a top six finish this season.
Boro’s previous promotion to the Premier League was in 2015-16, when they finished second behind champions Burnley, and Michael Carrick will be hoping to repeat that success next season.
Boro’s promotion that year under Aitor Karanka was aided by some outstanding transfer business throughout the season, with some well-known players arriving at the Riverside Stadium.
While the most of the new additions were a huge success, there were a few that disappointed, most notably midfielder Carlos de Pena, who arrived from Nacional for £2.6 million.
Aitor Karanka’s Carlos de Pena risk failed to pay off.
De Pena appeared to be an exciting signing for Boro, and Karanka threw him into the lineup shortly after his debut on Teesside, starting three of his first five league games.
However, after starting in a 3-0 win over Rotherham United in November 2015, de Pena made only one more league game and was regularly left out of the matchday squad entirely, though he did play in the EFL Cup and FA Cup.
Speaking in December 2015, Karanka said that de Pena had struggled to settle at the club for off-the-field reasons, but that he believed he would be successful.
Carlos arrived at the last minute, and his arrival with the accident was not ideal, Karanka told Teesside Live.
He’s living alone here, he’s a kid, his mother isn’t 100% because of the accident, she’s in pain and having troubles right now, so it’s difficult, but I don’t disbelieve him.
It’s not an excuse, he’s a really good player, he’s intelligent and I have a lot of confidence in him.
De Pena’s versatility allowed him to be deployed throughout the midfield, but with Karanka frequently using him on the left wing, it was always going to be difficult for him to establish himself in the team ahead of Stuart Downing, who had returned to Boro as the club’s marquee signing in the summer.
In September 2016, Karanka disclosed that de Pena had the option to leave the Riverside Stadium in the summer, and while he applauded him for his attitude, he conceded that he was not in contention to play for the first team.
Indeed, de Pena did not play a single minute for Boro throughout the first half of the 2016-17 season before joining Spanish second division side Real Oviedo on loan in January 2017.
De Pena scored one goal in seven appearances for Real Oviedo, but that was insufficient to persuade new Boro manager Garry Monk to give him a chance following the club’s relegation to the Championship, and his contract was terminated by mutual consent in July 2017.
In total, de Pena made only 10 games for Boro, assisting once, and while personal circumstances made things difficult for the Uruguayan, the £2.6 million investment was clearly not well spent.
De Pena returned to his former club Nacional after being released by Boro, and he has since played for Dynamo Kiev and Internacional, reviving his career following a disappointing spell in English football.
Boro fans are accustomed to the occasional transfer disaster, but de Pena will undoubtedly go down as one of the club’s worst purchases.
