“Promising,” “Unexpected” – Taking a look at Middlesbrough’s £3m+ signing so far: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict’ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Among the players to make the move to Middlesbrough in the summer transfer window, was Marcus Forss.

The striker joined the Championship side from Brentford for a fee reported to be worth over £3million on a four-year contract.

That came after a spell with Brentford that saw the Finn score 19 goals in 74 appearances in all competitions for the Bees, helping them win promotion to the Premier League in 2021.

But just how has the 23-year-old got on since swapping London for the Riverside Stadium?

We asked some of Football League World writers to sum up Forss’ time at Middlesbrough in one word, and explain why.

Here, is a look at what they had to say.

Adam Jones

Promising.

Recording seven goals and four assists in 28 league appearances, Forss has adapted to life at the Riverside extremely well.

He may not have thrived at Hull City during the second half of last season – but he’s certainly finding his feet again on Teesside and has done well both centrally and on the right-hand side.

His miss against Bristol City (H) this season just goes to show that he could have scored even more goals – but the Finland international already has a decent record and will be looking to build on it for the remainder of the campaign.

Switching systems and positions wouldn’t have been easy for him – but he has dealt with those alterations well and at 23 – he’s only going to get better.

Whether he’s a regular starter in the Premier League next season remains to be seen – but this is a signing that has certainly worked out for the best.

Can you get 20/20 on this Middlesbrough quiz?

1 of 20

Who was the club's league top scorer in 2021/22?

Isaiah Jones Andraz Sporar Duncan Watmore Matt Crooks

Toby Wilding

Progressive.

Admittedly, things did not start out in the most spectacular of ways after Forss’ move to Middlesbrough, with the striker scoring just twice in the Championship before Christmas.

Since then however, things have started to change, with the 23-year-old scoring five goals since then, and some of those strikes have been vital in helping ‘Boro to wins that have seen them climb the table, and into contention for promotion.

As a result, it does seem as though the striker has made a significant improvement over the course of his time at The Riverside Stadium so far, becoming an important player for the club in the process.

That is something everyone around the club will no doubt now be hoping he can build on, and if he manages to do so, this could prove to be a smart piece of business for Middlesbrough.

Ned Holmes

Unexpected.

Things haven’t played out as I thought they would for Marcus Forss at Middlesbrough but he is on course to finish his debut season with a flourish.

The signing looked like an absolute coup to me when Boro got it done and exactly what they needed to solve their striking issue.

It hasn’t played out like that and Forss struggled under Chris Wilder but things have been very different since Michael Carrick took charge.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t particularly on board with the Finn playing off the right when I first heard about it but he’s become a real weapon for them off that side – and seven goals and four assists is a more than decent reward.

I still believe his future is as a central striker but with the likes of Chuba Akpom and Cameron Archer in the squad currently, to be able to have a goalthreat like Forss coming off the right flank is really exciting.

Carrick deserves plenty of credit but so does the 23-year-old, who has shown real application.