Alves has penned a four-and-a-half year contract at The Riverside

[Diego]

Middlesbrough have completed the club record signing of Brazilian striker Afonso Alves from Heerenveen.

After weeks of negotiating that went right up until less than an hour before the transfer deadline, Boro finalised a move for Alves - who turned 27 on Wednesday.

Alves has penned a four-and-a-half year contract at The Riverside after Boro agreed to pay a club record fee of just over £12million.

"I'm delighted to have completed the deal. As usual at this time of the year, it was a late night but Afonso brings us something different in that he is a goalscorer who does much of his best work inside the box," said manager Gareth Southgate.

"His goalscoring record in Holland in particular but in Sweden too has been prolific. We hope he will reproduce that sort of form for us in the Premier League."

At one point Alves looked as if he might be forced to join AZ Alkmaar, who he signed a deal with last month.

But the Dutch Football Association refused to sanction the move which left Heerenveen free to agree a deal with Boro - which was finally done on Thursday evening.

Speaking to his official website, Alves admitted his delight at sealing his move to Teesside.

"I'm very happy to be able to play in such an important league, the biggest in Europe," said Alves.

"I am hoping that I can have a good performance, and repeat what I achieved in Sweden and Holland."

Alves becomes the ninth Brazilian to sign for Boro in just over a decade and could make his debut against Newcastle United on Sunday, subject to receiving international clearance.

£12million

jesus thats a whole lot for Middlesbrough..

i can't wait to have a look at him though...

[ningnangnong]

12m is a rip.

I'll happily eat humble pie if he succeeds, but i think he lacks the pace and agility to do well in England.

[slimbimjim]

Could be the next Ravanelli. I liked him but the team around him was ****.

[Scaramanga]

I suspect he'll be similar to Kuyt in that he'll struggle to score as many goals in a decent league

[Rich]

I think it'll go one of two ways, either he'll score an avalanche of goals, or (more likely) he'll be utter ****.

[Shaggy]

Diego...........did you just lose heart towards the end of the subject line?

[Diego]

Diego...........did you just lose heart towards the end of the subject line?

i guess it didn't accept the full title, hadn't noticed it before...

[The Erectile Banana]

And now he may be banned for the season:

Alkmaar want Alves banned for rest of season


Middlesbrough could be without their new Brazilian striker if Fifa upholds claim

Staff and agencies
Friday February 1, 2008
Guardian Unlimited


Afonso Alves: at the mercy of his old club? Photograph: Mike Egerton/Empics

AZ Alkmaar want to see Afonso Alves banned from playing for his new club Middlesbrough for the rest of the season after announcing they will take their claim on the Brazil international to Fifa.
The Dutch club are still insistent they have a pre-contract agreement with the striker, a claim which is disputed by Alves, who was sold by Heerenveen to Boro for an undisclosed fee on transfer deadline day. But AZ chairman Dirk Scheringa will ask Fifa to investigate. "He really has a chance of getting banned from playing for the rest of the season," he told De Telegraaf. "We have a water-tight contract with him."


Article continues

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The Dutch FA, who signed off the transfer to Boro yesterday, has already ruled the agreement between the player and AZ is invalid because the club have not met certain conditions.
Alkmaar's stance could prevent Alves from making his Middlesbrough debut at Newcastle on Sunday, while the Boro manager Gareth Southgate also has concerns over the fitness of Jeremie Aliadiere (groin), who played in Tuesday's 1-0 win over Wigan, and Emanuel Pogatetz (ankle), who missed the midweek match. Turkey striker Tuncay Sanli (hamstring) is definitely out, which means Mido could start for the first time this year.

http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2250797,00.html

[dww]

Could be the next Ravanelli. I liked him but the team around him was ****.

I actually quite like the Middlesborough team and thought that all it needed was a good striker to make them move away from the relegation battle. That was before they sold Woodgate though. I think if Alves chips in with even a decent number of goals the key to their season will be ensuring they have the right leadership at the back.

[AFII]

I would compare him to Trezeguet. He scores a lot of goals, that's about it. No hard work, no team work.

[Parm]

12m is a rip.

I'll happily eat humble pie if he succeeds, but i think he lacks the pace and agility to do well in England.

i agree with you, the pace in this league maybe too much for him. In Holland he looked like he was treading in quicksand and he still looked faster than most of the Defenders out there.
Great record in Holland, but I have my doubts as to his success over here.

[Parm]

I actually quite like the Middlesborough team and thought that all it needed was a good striker to make them move away from the relegation battle. That was before they sold Woodgate though. I think if Alves chips in with even a decent number of goals the key to their season will be ensuring they have the right leadership at the back.

you nutter Dave, Boro are and always have been a bag of ****e who have punched above their weight for far too long. They are the equivelent of a horse with a broken leg begging to be put of its misery. Someone should do the same to Boro.

[dww]

you nutter Dave, Boro are and always have been a bag of ****e who have punched above their weight for far too long. They are the equivelent of a horse with a broken leg begging to be put of its misery. Someone should do the same to Boro.

They played some great football at the start of the season but never scored and since look lacking in confidence but in spells seem capable of good things. I think if you add a goal threat to them they would become a reasonably attractive mid table team.

I like their youth policy and the fact that they have some sort of consistent set of ideals in terms of developing young English players and managers. If they had better crowds they would be my favourite bottom half club.

[Joe King]

They played some great football at the start of the season but never scored and since look lacking in confidence but in spells seem capable of good things. I think if you add a goal threat to them they would become a reasonably attractive mid table team.

I like their youth policy and the fact that they have some sort of consistent set of ideals in terms of developing young English players and managers. If they had better crowds they would be my favourite bottom half club.

Its great that you have divided both halfs and have favourites.

[andyinswinton]

I hate Boro and hope they go down.

Its a lot of money for this guy. I think if he was special there would have been more clubs in for him than just Middlesboro.

I head this morning he has scored 11 in 11 this season although 7 was in one game. When you take that game out its 4 in 10 which is still probably better than most of our strikers! Seriously though, I just don't think he will do the business in the Premier League.