17 long-forgotten boro players you might not realise are still playing

Middlesbrough have enjoyed their fair share of transfer hits in recent seasons, with Kieran Scott arriving four years ago to completely revamp the scouting and recruitment team on Teesside.

Since that summer, Boro’s financial picture has dramatically improved thanks to a much-improved player-trading model which sees the club able to invest more into the playing squad without

breaking Championship profit and sustainability regulations, thanks to the profit made from sales. Not every transfer can be a hit though - particularly when needing to take risks to find

value in the market. As the club kickstarts a new summer recruitment drive, we take a look back at 17 long-forgotten Boro players who you might not realise are still playing. ANDRAZ SPORAR

Signing on loan from Sporting CP in the window before Scott arrived in his new role, the striker managed eight goals on Teesside and the club decided against signing him permanently a year

later. Instead, the Slovakian moved to Panathaniakos and spent two-and-a-half years there. Now 31, he moved from the Greece side to join Turkish Super Lig side Alanyaspor in January where he

managed three goals in ten appearances. JAMES LEA SILIKI Sporar wasn’t the only loan signing at Boro that summer. James Lea Siliki also arrived from Rennes. Struggling to make an impact on

Teesside he left at the end of the campaign and after short spells in Portugal and Turkey, the Cameroonian midfielder spent most of last season without a club before signing a short-term

deal with Romanian top-tier side Buzau. After suffering relegation though, Siliki will be a free agent once again this summer. JORDAN ARCHER Signing under Neil Warnock as free agent, Archer

made six appearances before being released. He then spent three years at QPR before joining Portsmouth last summer. The 32-year-old made only three appearances but was regularly on the bench

and is contracted for another year. DEJAN STOJANOVIC Another failed attempt at finding a reliable goalkeeper, Stojanovic joined in the January of Boro’s season of struggle under Jonathan

Woodgate and failed to make the grade. After various loan spells, he left Boro to join Regensburg in Germany’s second tier before moving back to Austria a year later, where he’s been since.

Altach’s first-choice, he helped them avoid relegation by two points this term. MARCUS BROWNE Part of Boro’s ‘Golden thread’ recruitment drive, Browne proved a popular figure on Teesside but

found injuries limited his impact. Leaving to re-join Oxford United, he helped them to Championship promotion last season before joining AFC Wimbledon in January. There, he helped them win

promotion via the play-offs too, with two successful Wembley finals in the space of 12 months. ANDY LONERGAN Goalkeeper Andy Lonergan is 41 but yet to officially announce his retirement.

This summer he will leave Wigan Athletic where he didn’t make an appearance, while serving as a player-coach. Having been third-choice at Everton prior to that, he’s not actually played a

competitive game since December 2020, but it remains to be seen if he focuses fully on coaching now or registers again as a player. JULIEN DE SART Signing for Boro in the months before Aitor

Karanka’s side won promotion, De Sart would make only three appearances for the club. After a spell in Belgium, the midfielder now plays for Al-Rayyan in Qatar. BERNARDO ESPINOSA Joining

after promotion, centre-back Espinosa was still recovering from an ACL injury when he arrived on Teesside and had to wait until the second half of the season before being able to make 15

appearances. Unable to save Boro from the drop, he moved back to Spain after just a year in England. Now 35, he spent last season playing for Marbella in the third tier. CARLOS DE PENA After

making ten appearances in the promotion-winning season, Uruguayan De Pena returned to his home country after his Boro spell came to an end. After spells in Ukraine, de Pena spent last

season playing for Bahia in Brazil’s top flight. JAMES HUSBAND After making only eight appearances over three seasons, it’s easy to forget James Husband was once a Boro player. Now 31,

Husband has spent the last six years at Blackpool and made his 200th appearance for the club last season. He has one more year left on his deal there. YANIC WILDSCHUT A signing from the

Netherlands in 2014, Wildschut left after making only 16 appearances across two seasons. After staying in England initially for spells at Wigan, Norwich, Cardiff and Bolton, Wildschut left

for Israel in 2019. After a season in Belgium, he returned to England for a season at Oxford United and has spent the last two years at Exeter City. Out of contract this summer, he has been

‘invited back for pre-season’, as per the club’s retained list. DIEGO FABBRINI Now 31, Italian midfielder Fabbrini joined Boro in 2015, on loan from Watford. Despite being a popular figure

at Boro, he lasted only six months before being allowed to return to the Hornets who subsequently sold him to Birmingham. He’s now back in Italy playing for fourth-tier side Sambenedettese.

BRUNO ZUCULINI A one-time wonderkid on the books of Manchester City, Zuculini would have a three-month loan spell at Boro at the end of 2015. Three alternative loan moves followed before a

permanent move in 2017 to Hellas Verona. He’s now back in Argentina and had six years at River Plate before a move to Racing Club last summer. MILOS VELJKOVIC Serbian international

centre-back Veljkovic spent the first half of the 2014-15 season on loan at Boro from Tottenham. Failing to make the grade, his spell on Teesside was cut short. Despite his struggles on

Teesside early in his career, he moved to Germany in 2016 and has been with Werder Bremen for nine years. After 243 appearances, the 29-year-old is set to leave this summer. ANDY HALLIDAY

One of Gordon Strachan’s signings from north of the border, Halliday spent five years at Boro but made only 42 appearances with three loan spells. After five years at Rangers, he had a spell

at Hearts before spending the last two years at Motherwell. Now 33, he’s had his contract extended an extra year this summer. JOZSEF VARGA Signing on loan in 2013, the midfielder ended up

playing at right-back after Aitor Karanka’s arrival, but the club decided against using a purchase option at the end of the season. Though he’s now 36, he helped Kazincbarcika win promotion

to the Hungarian top tier last term. KEI KAMARA After an unsuccessful loan spell at Premier League Norwich City, Boro signed Sierra Leone international in 2013. Failing to work out though,

he returned to the USA after netting just four goals. With the exception of one year in Finland, he’s spent the entirety of the rest of his career in the MLS and is currently a team-mate of

Boro loanee Lukas Engel at FC Cincinnati. He’s just four goals shy of 150 MLS goals.