Middlesbrough chief reveals ‘strange’ reason why Finn Azaz wanted to leave for Southampton

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Finn Azaz expressed his desire to depart the Riverside Stadium this summer to Middlesbrough’s Championship rivals Southampton.

Middlesbrough and Southampton have started the season in different form following their summer deal for attacking midfielder Azaz.

Middlesbrough have made a “brilliant” start under Rob Edwards, and are the only second tier team to take maximum points thus far.

Under new boss Will Still, the Saints sit 13th in the table, and are gearing up for an expectedly fierce South Coast derby clash this weekend.

Ahead of the return to Championship action, Middlesbrough’s Head of Football Kieran Scott has explained the “strange” reason why Azaz wanted to depart Boro for Southampton.

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Why Finn Azaz wanted to leave Middlesbrough for Southampton

After Middlesbrough set Southampton a £12m Azaz asking fee, the Republic of Ireland international made his move to the South Coast outfit.

Azaz thinks Southampton can win the Championship, and has made the move owing to his top flight ambitions, but it is his league-leading former employers who have established themselves as early title contenders.

Southampton’s £12m move for Azaz came after the attacker scored 12 goals and notched 11 assists in 45 Championship outings under Michael Carrick last season.

Given his impressive output, Boro were reluctant to sell the 25-year-old, but Middlesbrough chief Scott has revealed that Azaz’s divisive nature among the fanbase led him to push for an exit.

Scott told BBC Tees: “It is strange (the reception Azaz got from Middlesbrough fans). Finn actually alluded to that.

“I think he felt that people didn’t like him. He had some fans, but there were others who didn’t like him. He did express that.

“It’s strange when a player has those kinds of numbers, and that’s how people feel. Listen, everyone is entitled to their views. You pay your money and you see what you see, and feel what you feel at the end of the day.

“If that’s how you feel and you express it, it is what it is. But with Finn, I think he felt that, and I think that might have been a part of his reasoning for wanting to move on.

“He made it really clear what he wanted to do. Southampton in the end got to a point where we felt it was doable.

“We certainly weren’t pushing Finn away, and we would have kept Finn and worked with him, but it was made obvious what he wanted to do.”

He is in line for his Saints debut against Portsmouth, but Still will be hoping his form will improve after Azaz was rated poorly by Irish media for his display in Ireland’s World Cup qualifier defeat to Armenia.

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Finn Azaz’s £12m Southampton move led to Middlesbrough’s David Strelec coup

If international break form is anything to go off, then Middlesbrough could have completed one of the signings of the summer with the capture of striker David Strelec.

Strelec scored against Germany for Slovakia in a World Cup qualifier with a stunning strike, leaving the Boro faithful desperate to see the £6.5m capture make his debut against Preston North End this weekend.

One Championship expert believes that Strelec’s signing was the ‘missing piece’ for Edwards, and his arrival was facilitated by Azaz’s exit to Southampton.

Scott added: “We felt we could then use that money to bring in the likes of David (Strelec) and Kaly (Sene). So it made perfect sense to allow it.”

If Strelec can continue his rich vein of form into the rest of Middlesbrough’s title-hunting season, then the Azaz exit to make room for the Slovakian’s signing will prove to be a masterstroke by Scott.