Delano Burgzorg joined Bristol City on loan from Middlesbrough
Delano Burgzorg of Bristol City(Image: Getty Images)
Delano Burgzorg says Neto Borges sent a plea for the Middlesbrough forward to join him at Bristol City – telling his former Boro team-mate, ‘we need you’.
Burgzorg’s move to Bristol City last month ended up being a bit of a saga. Boro’s struggles to get a Jeremy Sarmiento deal over the line meant they blocked the move initially, as it looked close to being finalised.
But with Boro finally getting the Sarmiento deal over the line, they went back to the negotiating table with the Robins, with Burgzorg leaving the Riverside in a loan deal that includes an option to buy.
There, Burgzorg will be reunited with Borges, who has been on loan at Ashton Gate from Boro since the start of the season. And Burgzorg revealed in his first interview that the Brazilian did reach out to convince him on the move.
Asked what Borges had told him, he laughed and revealed: “He said, ‘Della, you have to come. We need you!’ He just told me it’s a nice club, nice city with good supporters and big ambitions as well.
“I’m happy to be here, finally. The ambitions of the club – wanting to go up all the time – attracted me, as did the way the team is playing. I think that suits me.”
FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK! Keep up with all the Middlesbrough FC latest via the Gazette’s dedicated Facebook page
Meanwhile, Gerhard Struber has revealed his plan for the Boro loanee, having been so delighted to finally get the deal for the 27-year-old over the line. He’d previously expressed his frustrations quite strongly, when they initial move fell through.
Struber said: “We are happy that we have finalised a long story in a successful way. Of course, I was in exchange with Delano here many times, but the player always wanted it [to move].
“This was never a player topic; he wanted it from the first second, and we were also, in the summer, in contact and everything was really close with him. This was always a topic with Middlesbrough.
“I understand, of course, Middlesbrough don’t want to lose a player on this level so easily, so in this direction, I can say crystal clear that Delano is really happy that he is here, but the way that we fought in all directions [so] that he is here, was a long way, a hard way.
“But we are happy, and now, it’s time to integrate him into this world of football. In this direction, we need to be a little bit patient with a striker like him to realise what we want.
“That’s right, now our big topic and our big goal: to develop Delano here in a different way. We need someone who is, in front of goal, really efficient.
“Of course, at Middlesbrough, he had not always the game time he wanted, but right now, we start here to jump quickly in the style of football and then, of course, to be in this football style successful with goals.”
———-
Here at TeessideLive, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Middlesbrough FC coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest Boro news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
Your information will be hidden, you’ll only ever receive messages from the Teesside Live sports team, and you can leave any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘Exit group’. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice .
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.