Middlesbrough’s £6.5m summer signing David Strelec faces glaring challenge under Rob Edwards

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Middlesbrough made several impressive signings, but their most expensive recruit will have to displace a crucial Boro figure.

Middlesbrough are at the summit of the Championship table amid the international break after a flawless start to league action under Rob Edwards.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	4	4	0	0	7	1	6	12

Four wins from Boro’s first four league outings is an outstanding return, but Middlesbrough’s business in the summer transfer window was equally impressive.

Several marquee signings, constituting an outlay in the region of £20m, were brought to the Riverside Stadium alongside multiple high-profile loan captures.

However, David Strelec has one clear objective on his agenda during his first weeks at Boro under Edwards, despite being the club’s most expensive signing of the summer.

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David Strelec must displace Tommy Conway at Middlesbrough

After discussions and links in the January window amid Emmanuel Latte Lath’s £22.5m move to Atalanta United, Middlesbrough held fresh talks with Strelec this summer regarding a move to Teesside.

After Edwards confirmed there was truth about Strelec to Boro, the Slovakian striker signed for an initial £6.5m fee from Slovan Bratislava, with the potential for another £2.5m in add-ons.

One Slovakian football journalist hailed Strelec after his Middlesbrough move, claiming that the 24-year-old frontman is “the total package”.

Amid the international break, Middlesbrough fans hailed Strelec amid his sparkling form for Slovakia after he notched a goal and an assist in a 2-0 World Cup qualifier win over Germany.

Although Strelec arrives with high hopes, the Slovakian will find it difficult to displace Tommy Conway from Edwards’ Boro starting XI in the post-international break run of fixtures.

Conway concluded last season as Boro’s top goalscorer in all competitions (13) and has taken that form into this term with two crucial goals in the first four Championship outings.

The former Bristol City striker scored the decisive goal against Norwich City and the winner versus Sheffield United last time out.

However, Edwards could employ one tactical shift to get both Strelec and Conway into the starting XI alongside each other.

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Rob Edwards must start both David Strelec and Tommy Conway

Edwards’ 3-4-2-1 formation has proven to be extremely effective so far for undefeated Boro, but a subtle change of tactic could make them even more potent.

With the arrival of Strelec, Edwards’ best Middlesbrough XI after the window should see the left-footed Slovakian alongside Conway.

Having opposite feet on either side of the two-man striker pair, and with Strelec being more physically dominant than the Scotsman, could make the Boro pair one of the deadliest attacking duos in the Championship.