How is ex-Middlesbrough player Martin Payero getting on since leaving the Riverside Stadium? | OneFootball

Martin Payero signed for Middlesbrough in August 2021 from Club Atlético Banfield for a reported £6 million but has since departed the club for Udinese.

Payero arrived at the Riverside in the latter stages of Neil Warnock’s tenure. Turbulence ensued on Teesside with Chris Wilder, who replaced Warnock, unable to succeed before Michael Carrick arrived late last year and changed everything.

However, the midfielder gained attention for his performances in Argentina, playing for Banfield and Talleres de Córdoba before making his move to the Riverside Stadium.

Warnock said at the time that: "He will be an exciting signing, we’re delighted to get everything done, and we’re looking forward to working with him. I know Martin is looking forward to it and can’t wait to play in front of our fans."

How did Payero play with Middlesbrough?

That did not transpire as planned, as Payero has also not had a settled time of things with Boro, and made 13 appearances in the 2021/22 league season, with six of those being starts - he scored once and assisted once in the Championship.

When given the chance, the Argentinian midfielder's qualities were on display, but sadly his chances were limited, making just six league starts during his time with the club. That creativity and athleticism had led many at Middlesbrough to be optimistic about their new man, but that soon died down when they saw him less and less in the squad.

The following campaign, with Wilder and then Carrick at the helm, there was no route for the Argentine into the first-team and so he went on loan Boca Juniors.He left Boro having made 15 appearances for the club, scoring once and assisting once.

After a productive loan spell where he scored five times from midfield in 32 games, Michael Carrick was then able to have a good look at Payero, but he failed to impress in pre-season or in the EFL Cup and on September the 1st, he departed for Italian side Udinese on a permanent deal.

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How has Payero performed for Udinese since leaving Middlesbrough?

Payero signed for the Serie A side on a four-year deal with the option of an extra year. The midfielder may have made this move due to a lack of playing time on Teeside, but has been involved regularly for his new team already.

The Argentine has made nine appearances for his new side, with five of those coming as starts. He has been utilised as a central or attacking-midfielder; however, he has only completed one 90 minutes so far for Udinese.

Payero has amassed under 450 minutes in total for the Serie A side. The 25-year-old struggled to nail down a position during his time at the Riverside, featuring across the midfield and rotating in and out, and that seems to be the case with his new side.

According to Whoscored, he is currently completing 1.3 tackles and interceptions per game, which is fairly low for a box-to-box midfielder, whilst an average of just 15 passes per game at a success rate of (82.2%) is low as well. However, Payero makes 0.4 key passes and 0.7 dribbles every game, and averages 1.2 shots.

That doesn't make for great reading, nor do his goals and assists column, which currently both sit at zero. However, his retention is decent as he only gets dispossessed 0.7 times a game and has 1 unsuccessful touch per 90, too.

Payero looks to be still finding his feet and that will be made harder by the fact Udinese are struggling in the league. He's tasted victory just once with his new club, including eight draws in their 12 league games. The win came at San Siro to AC Milan in a famous victory for his new side.

The former Middlesbrough man's start is a reflection of that tough start to the season endured by Gabriele Cioffi's team after Andrea Sottil's dismissal a few weeks ago. They sit 16th in the table, just two points above the drop zone.

That hasn't deterred Payero, who has still kept up a positive image on social media after their most recent draw with Atalanta over the weekend.