Are big-spending Middlesbrough treading a dangerous path in their promotion quest?

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Middlesbrough’s club-record capture of Britt Assombalonga from Championship rivals Nottingham Forest was a huge statement of intent. Boro are aiming to bounce-back from relegation at the first attempt, having endured a torrid time in the Premier League last season. Garry Monk has replaced Aitor Karanka in the Riverside hot-seat and the former Swansea City and Leeds United manager has been backed in the transfer market.

Assombalonga has cost Middlesbrough £15 million – an enormous fee for a Championship club – and he is by no mean the first big-money signing of the summer. The north-east outfit have already splashed £9 million on Martin Braithwaite from Toulouse and also brought in Cyrus Christie and Johnny Howson from Derby County and Norwich City, respectively.

More arrivals are expected, too. It’s a marked departure from Boro’s cautious approach last season, which was criticised by large sections of the club’s supporters who felt the club should have done more transfer business in order to preserve their top-flight status.

It’s no secret that the Premier League is the place to be. The financial rewards from playing in the most-watched league in the world are astronomical, thanks largely to the obscene £8.3 billion global television deal. Nineteen of the 20 clubs last season banked more than £100 million.

As such, Championship sides are desperate to gain promotion and are increasingly spending more and more in their efforts to do so. Transfer fees in England’s second tier have climbed exponentially in the past couple of seasons.

Middlesbrough’s signing of Assombalonga sets a new precedent because they beat off stiff competition from Premier League clubs. Both Burnley and Watford were interested, with the Clarets tabling a bid of £8 million that was flatly rejected by Forest earlier this summer. Burnley were unwilling to offer a higher amount.

It’s not only the transfer fees, but the wages that accompany them. The local newspaper in Middlesbrough, the Teeside Gazette, claims that the personal package Boro offered Assombalonga topped those of his Premier League admirers and could end up costing the club an astonishing £60k per week, although this has been denied by the club.

Of course, this is all well and good if Middlesbrough secure promotion. They are among the favourites to do so, in light of the players they have purchased since relegation. But it is definitely not a foregone conclusion.

The Championship is one of he most competitive leagues in the world and often throws up a surprise. Who would have predicted AFC Bournemouth’s triumph in 2015, or Huddersfield’s promotion via the play-offs only two months ago? Financial investment is no guarantee of success; it takes a lot of hard work and sometimes a slice of luck.

Middlesbrough supporters will be delighted with the club’s summer activity, believing it enhances their prospects of making an immediate return to the top table of English football. But it is a hazardous strategy.

If Boro fail in their stated aim, then they could be at risk of failing Financial Fair Play (FFP) and incurring a significant fine or even a points deduction. It’s not as simple as success or bust, but their approach this summer is a gamble.

The club’s owner and chairman, Steve Gibson, would probably describe it as a calculated one. However, there is no doubt the pressure is on Monk to guide the club back into the Premier League. The consequences of failing to do so could be severe.