Boro's best and worst VFM foreign imports?

E

equaliser

Well-known member
Been thinking about where we might procure that striker who will fire us to promotion, the gamble of taking players from foreign leagues and all the bad and good signings we've made from abroad. Which were the best, not purely in terms of ability - i.e. Boksic, Juninho - but in terms of what we paid when we paid it? Early signings like Heine Otto, Bosko and later Fjortoft spring to mind, though JAF doesn't count as, like Viduka, Haselbaink etc, he was signed from a UK team. Then later Quedrue, Nsue were unlikely bargain basement stars from overseas. On the other side, you have flops like Reiziger, Barragan, Espinoza, Karembeu. I recall having high hopes for youtube sensations Tarmo Kink and Viktor Fischer...oh dear.

It's a big gamble for sure. Will they settle, will they suit the English style of play?

What are posters' best and worst?
 
I'm sure someone in the recruitment team fancied a few trips abroad and brought back Lee Dong-Gook and Alves to justify it. Both garbage.
 
Hard to evaluate really, I think yo need to compare defenders with defenders, strikers with strikers etc, are they foreign imports on nationality alone or does signing from a UK club count.

I’d say Alves was a poor return but have no idea on wages, but think he must be up at the top end if not the top.

A striker that was ok based on returns was Scott McDonald, Goalkeeper Schwarzer was brilliant business, Juninho (first time on quality and profit).
I think it depends on the criteria and having their overall costs known to work it ou, I dare say Gibson could tell us better than anyone financially speaking, the performance element becomes subjective though.
 
coluka said:
Hard to evaluate really, I think yo need to compare defenders with defenders, strikers with strikers etc, are they foreign imports on nationality alone or does signing from a UK club count.

I’d say Alves was a poor return but have no idea on wages, but think he must be up at the top end if not the top.

A striker that was ok based on returns was Scott McDonald, Goalkeeper Schwarzer was brilliant business, Juninho (first time on quality and profit).
I think it depends on the criteria and having their overall costs known to work it ou, I dare say Gibson could tell us better than anyone financially speaking, the performance element becomes subjective though.
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Both Schwarzer & McDonald weren't strictly foreign imports in that they had been tested in the domestic game. Buying from a foreign league is much more of a wide punt. Obviously, you're correct that we have no clear idea re wages, but we can take an educated guess. It was a shock to read that Espinosa was our highest paid player one season he was here. He was so memorable I'd forgotten he existed!
 
Got a mention for Kike Sola ..

And for Alves, watched him play for 10 mins and knew he was going to struggle playing the loan target man role. I think we used him wrong rather than been garbage. When we had rocky playing him balls to run on to he was doing ok.
 
Festa (obviously).

Was Nemeth signed on a free? Inconsistent but brilliant on his day and great value.

Doriva on a free too I think? Got to be up there in vfm terms.

Ricard, £2m? Still our top scorer in the premier League.

French Franck and Nsue already mentioned, I'd agree with.

Ziege is up there. Shame how he left obviously but £2.5m was an absolute steal for a player of his calibre, even in those days.
 
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