47-goal former Middlesbrough striker joins PFA free agent squad after Turkey departure

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With just two weeks to go in the summer transfer window, Middlesbrough supporters will still be keen to see their team add a little bit more quality to their ranks.

After a 4-0 defeat to League One side Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup last Tuesday, supporters wanted to see more defensive stability from their side at The Den at the weekend and they got exactly that as Boro ran out 3-0 winners over Millwall.

Rob Edwards has not chosen a club captain this season, but Dael Fry was once again given the armband as the Teessiders celebrated moving up to second in the table, albeit in the very early stages of the campaign.

Nevertheless, for one former Middlesbrough player, this summer is a big one and he has just joined the PFA free agent squad for week eight of pre-season.

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Former Middlesbrough striker Britt Assombalonga is now training with the PFA free agent squad

It’s been four years since Britt Assombalonga left Boro to join Turkish club Adana Demirspor, but his time at the Riverside is still remembered extremely fondly by those on Teesside.

He scored 47 goals in 161 games for the club, smashing 15 of those in during his first Championship campaign in the north-east as Middlesbrough reached the play-offs. However, they were beaten by Aston Villa in the semi-final.

14 goals followed in 2018/19, but he started to be used as a rotational option in the next two years and he has spent the last few years bouncing around Turkey, with a stint at Watford in the Championship mixed in.

However, he left Amed SK earlier this summer as a free agent and is now keeping his fitness up in the PFA pre-season system.

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Britt Assombalonga is not the only former Championship player training with the PFA

While the season has already started for Middlesbrough and the rest of England, there is still plenty of time for free agents to get up to speed and find new clubs for the 2025/26 campaign.

There has been success for many who have gone through the PFA training camps, and EFL fans will be well aware of several of the stars involved.

Former Newcastle United winger, Rolando Aarons, is one of those training, while Sunderland icon Fabio Borini is also looking for a new club. Tyreece John-Jules is finding fitness with the squad of players, along with ex-Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough midfielder Adam Reach.

Nevertheless, Assombalonga will be fully focused on finding his next club, and he could well be back in the EFL this season.