Among them was the winger Viktor Fischer, who was once hailed as one of the most intriguing young possibilities the Dutch clubs had to offer.
It makes sense, then, that when the former Denmark international arrived on Teesside in 2016, there was a flurry of joy at first, but soon there would be cries of disappointment.
What caused Fischer’s tenure in the North East to rank among the most significant “what if” scenarios in Boro’s recent past? Were the wounds the only thing at fault? Or was he just not as good as many believed?
FLW looks into the career of one of Middlesbrough’s most disastrous signings, Viktor Fischer, while he was a Boro.
Viktor Fischer emerges as the Ajax wonderkid.
Dennis Bergkamp isn’t a name that many adolescent football players get to compare themselves to, but it does indicate how well regarded the Dane was in his early Ajax days.
Fischer had an impressive record of 10/20 appearances in the Champions League and Europa League, respectively, before he was ready to move to the Teesside, according to FotMob.
At the young age of 18, he made a huge impression on the Dutch football landscape with his 12 goals and 4 assists in the 2012–13 season.
The youthful prodigy from Ajax has piqued the curiosity of Manchester United, both the red and blue teams, indicating that his outstanding season was also noted throughout Europe.
Three seasons later, Fischer was primed to take his skill to the Premier League following an incredibly successful start to his professional career in the Netherlands, where he had played in over 100 games and scored 33 goals.
Middlesbrough is unable to bring out the best in Fischer.
After completing his £3.8 million move from Ajax, Fischer said to TV2 in Denmark, They (Middlesbrough) really want it. It’s something I truly want. I feel like I’m ready for the world’s biggest league.
They greet me warmly over there, and I already feel at home. And it is what matters most. I’m prepared.
As prepared as Fischer felt, he appeared to be having trouble making an impact on Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka, which soon led to irritation.
The 22-year-old winger did not play in a league game until matchday four, when he was replaced after 57 minutes at home against Crystal Palace.
Before suffering an injury on matchday 17 at home against Swansea City, he would only make four more Premier League starts. He wouldn’t play another minute in the league until the penultimate matchday of the season, at home against Southampton.
However, Fischer’s statistics didn’t show much promise when he was available. According to FotMob, he was in the lowest 29.9% percentile of Premier League wingers that season with 52.6% dribble success per 90 minutes (i.e., 70.1% of wingers scored better than this).
He is in an even lower percentile (only 26.8%) with his 0.41 shots on target per ninety minutes.
The club was relegated to the Championship, and Fischer had no interest in playing football in the lower leagues. After leaving for the German Bundesliga team Mainz, he spent the next six years on loan in Denmark, Belgium, and Sweden.
After regaining some of his earlier form over those years, injuries dogged Fischer and caused the 29-year-old to retire. His 16 games for Middlesbrough yielded three Premier League assists and no goals.
In pre-match bar and concourse chats, his name is still spoken, as is the extent of his undeniable potential. The player who could have been anything but only left Boro supporters in suspense is Viktor Fischer.
