Southampton v Middlesbrough: Finn Azaz's big-money sale has positive spin-offs for Boro - but boss provides a note of caution
The likely departure of Finn Azaz represented a key strand of Middlesbrough's thinking during their significant transfer investment in the final weeks of the summer window.
In their early reunion with the attacking midfielder, it is now about stopping the talent which he has in his locker from coming to the table for new club Southampton today.
With Azaz making it plain that he wanted to leave in the close season if a deal could be brokered with Saints, Boro busily made contingencies first with the likes of Sontje Hansen, Sverre Nypan and Kaly Sene arriving beforehand.
A deal worth an initial £12m, potentially rising to over £14m, was eventually struck, with the proceeds from the sale of Azaz, allied to the earlier big-money departure of Rav van den Berg, enabling the Teessiders to spend just under over £28m, with slightly over that amount having come in.
On the evidence of the first month and a half of the Championship season so far, the reinvestment has galvanised early pacesetters Boro, who are in the midst of their best ever start to a league campaign.
Edwards said: "We wanted to try and strengthen. With the money coming in, we were able to use some of that as well.
"There was a plan there, so it was always going to be the case that we might lose a couple of people in the summer. But it needed to be on our own terms and it was."
By contrast to Boro, Azaz, who netted in his first match for the club in the win at Norwich City on August 23, has yet to make waves on the south coast.
Despite his and Saints' early struggles, team wise, Boro manager Rob Edwards believes it is only a matter of time before they click into gear. Hopefully not today, that is.
"We know him, but Finn knows us well, Edwards continued.
"We've got to prepared for him, but a lot of other good players they've got.
"They have lots of good technical players who can play between the lines and we know one very well as well. They've got quality all over the pitch.
"They have made some changes. Some people have left, which happens when you get relegated from the Premier League. But they have been able to recruit well.
"They are performing well and maybe one or two results have gone against them. But there's no doubt the results will click and we've got to make sure we go down there and deliver a really strong performance."