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CHELSEA v MIDDLESBROUGH - ALVES NEEDS TO EARN HIS PLACE
Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate has warned Afonso Alves his record fee does not guarantee him a place in the team.
The 27-year-old Brazilian arrived in England from Dutch club Heerenveen during the winter transfer window with an impressive pedigree and a reputed £12.7million price tag.
However, like so many overseas imports, he has found the switch to the Barclays Premier League taxing in his first few months and is yet to establish himself in the team.
Indeed, a man who scored 49 goals at a rate of one a game for his previous club is yet to find the back of the net in seven appearances, four of them as a substitute.
Southgate insisted from day one that the South American, who has also played in Sweden, would need time to acclimatise, but while he remains confident there is much more to come from his big money capture, he insists he will only win his place on merit and not reputation or market value.
Southgate said: "He has hardly had any time on the field for us, really. When you bring a player in for that sort of fee, it immediately attracts a lot more attention.
"Tuncay Sanli was a free and Jeremie Aliadiere was £2million, and that does not carry the weight of expectation for them.
"But in training and when I am picking the team, I do not view them any differently just because one has come for a large sum of money.
"We treat them all the same and pick the team on the same basis.
"I know it is going to take him time - I said that from the day we signed him and nothing has changed in that respect.
"I am quite comfortable with that situation."
If Alves needs any indication of how long it might take him to produce his best form in a Boro shirt, he could do worse that talk to team-mate Tuncay, who himself needed time to find his feet following his summer move from Turkey.
The 26-year-old, a free signing from Fenerbahce, claimed his first goal for the club in his 14th appearance, opening his account in a 1-1 draw at Reading on December 1.
He was to score three times in his next five games and now has six goals to his name in 31 appearances, including winners against Arsenal, Derby twice and Portsmouth, a return which has established him as a key member of Southgate's team.
The manager has been delighted with his acquisition, who scored one and made one in Turkey's 2-2 draw with Belarus in Minsk last night.
He said: "Like all players coming from abroad and adapting to a different league, it took three months or so for him to adjust.
"But he is a fit boy, his work-rate for the team is outstanding and he is a pleasure to work with.
"He has an enthusiasm for the game and an enjoyment of life. He always comes in with a smile on his face, and it is great to work with players like that because they give you energy."
By Bettingzone.co.uk
Used with permission.
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