Last week, Middlesbrough finally confirmed the transfer of midfielder Gaston Ramirez on a free transfer after being released by Southampton. The 25-year-old has signed a three-year contract at the Riverside, where he spent a successful loan spell last season.
Speaking to the club’s official website, ‘Boro manager Aitor Karanka expressed his delight at securing the Uruguayan on a permanent basis:
“It’s good to have him with us again. He was a key player last season and we both knew we wanted to work together again. It’s taken time, but it’s good to have him here. It’s good for the team, for the club, and for him. So we’re all pleased.”
The History
Starting off his youth career at Penarol in Uruguay, Ramirez made his professional debut for the club in 2009 at the age of 18. He went on to make 42 league appearances, scoring eight goals, before securing a move to Italian side Bologna in August 2010 for a fee of € 2.5 million.
Ramirez enjoyed a reasonably successful first campaign in Italy, bagging four goals and two assists in 25 league matches, before really finding his feet during the 2011/12 campaign, where he netted eight times and provided five assists in 33 league appearances.
Those performances persuaded Southampton to pay a reported £12 million for his services in August 2012, but he struggled for consistency during his first season in England, despite scoring five goals and bagging three assists in 26 league appearances.
The midfielder spent much of the 2013/14 season on the fringes of the Southampton side under Mauricio Pochettino, before moving to Hull City on a season-long loan in September 2014. He once again struggled to establish himself as a regular starter, though, totalling 23 league appearances for the Tigers, scoring just one Premier League goal.
In January, Ramirez moved to Middlesbrough on loan for the remainder of the 2015/16 campaign, and proved to be a pivotal figure as ‘Boro secured promotion back to the Premier League, scoring seven goals and registering four assists in 18 league matches.
Having played 13 times for Uruguay Under 20s, scoring three goals, Ramirez made his senior debut against Indonesia in October 2010. He also represented his country in the London 2012 football tournament and the 2014 World Cup, and currently has 38 caps to his name, although he has yet to score for his country.
The Prospects
During his loan spell with ‘Boro last season, Ramirez primarily featured in the number ten role in Karanka’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation. While the Spanish boss is known to rotate his attacking options, fellow new signing Viktor Fischer appears likely to occupy one of the wide berths, with the likes of Albert Adomah, Stewart Downing and Cristhian Stuani battling for the other wide position.
Ramirez did only come on as a substitute in three of his 18 league outings for ‘Boro last season, though, suggesting he could be the attacking midfielder least prone to rotation.
Looking at last season’s underlying statistics, Ramirez averaged a shot every 32.4 minutes, better than Stuani (36.6), Adomah (39.9) and Downing (48.2), although Fischer did manage a shot every 29 minutes playing for Ajax. Assessing the creativity of the players last season, Ramirez once again led the way, averaging a key pass every 33.2 minutes, better than Downing (48.2), Adomah (50.2) and Stuani (124.6), while Fischer only created a chance every 62.7 minutes playing in the Eredivisie.
With Fischer, Downing and Adomah all valued at 5.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), it’s likely Ramirez will be priced the same or 6.0 at a push. Certainly, with such favourable opening fixtures (STO, sun, wba, CPL), Ramirez, like many of ‘Boro’s Fantasy assets, look worthy of consideration as budget options for our initial 15-man squads.
The fact that Karanka’s men only scored 63 goals in the Championship last term, ranking them eighth in the division, may bring a sense of caution in backing ‘Boro attackers from the off, though. Nonetheless, their attack has been boosted by the arrival of former Man City striker Alberto Negredo, who netted a debut goal for the Teeside team at the weekend after an effort from Ramirez cannoned back off the post.
Priced at 6.5, Negredo’s instant impact has propelled him onto many radars as a cheap third striker option, though if Ramirez comes in at 5.5, he looks a decent budget midfield option for the opening weeks of the season. Given that he’s familiar with both the Premier League and Karanka’s tactical system, the South American will be looking to finally prove himself after those disappointing spells in the top-flight at Southampton and Hull.
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