THEY might have suffered a frustrating end to the transfer window, but when Middlesbrough look back on the summer as a whole in a few months’ time, they might well conclude they still managed to pull off one of the deals of the close season.

Aware that Ben Gibson was likely to be moving on at some stage, Boro headed into the summer looking for a centre-half.

Tony Pulis always had Aden Flint’s name at the top of his wanted list, and while other clubs assessed their options during the World Cup hiatus, the Teessiders acted decisively to initiate discussions with Bristol City.

A couple of days later, and Flint was moving to the North-East for £6m. At the time, it looked an astute piece of business. Almost two months on, and it increasingly looks like an absolute steal.

As the going rate for Championship centre-halves continues to go through the roof, Boro can be justifiably content at their acquisition of a seasoned performer, operating at the peak of his career at the age of 29, for a remarkably competitive fee.

“It was important to get Aden sorted when we did,” admitted Pulis. “If you’re talking about trying to buy Flinty now, then the price Bristol City could have got if they’d hung on to him is probably very different to what we paid. It was very good business for us.”

Just how good could be underlined later today when Flint makes his first return to Ashton Gate. Having started his career with non-league Alfreton Town, Flint spent five years on the books of Bristol City, establishing himself as one of the most consistent and reliable performers in the second tier.

Twelve months ago, he thought long and hard about moving on, but was persuaded to stay with the promise that he would be awarded a lucrative long-term contract if City won promotion to the Premier League.

That did not happen, and when Boro came in with the offer of a vastly-improved deal, City boss Lee Johnson was forced to accept he could not really stand in Flint’s way. Not, however, that he was happy to see his side’s most influential player depart.

“Football is a short career, and it’s very difficult to stand in a player’s way,” said Johnson, ahead of this afternoon’s reunion. “We gave Aden a new contract with the big carrot that if we get into the Premier League, we would blow other Championship teams out of the water with our wage because of, obviously, the Premier League money.

“That settled down, and he knew that if we got into the Premier League, he would be handsomely rewarded, and that showed in his contract.

“There was no gentleman’s agreement or handshake or contract clause, or anything like that, but it became a case of it becoming almost immoral to stand in his way.”

Flint’s departure robbed Bristol City of their defensive rock, but meant Boro had a ready-made replacement for Gibson when the Teessider stepped back up to the Premier League to join Burnley at the start of the month.

Defensively, Flint has already impressed with his towering aerial ability and positional nous, and he is already up and running at the other end of the field thanks to his maiden goal in the 3-0 win over Sheffield United.

“I didn’t want to see him leave, but it turned out that he did, and given that fact, of course we wish him all the best,” said Johnson. “He’s a threat in the box, there’s no denying that, so it’s important that we do our job and do it very well.”

Flint’s departure was one of a number of high-profile exits from Ashton Gate this summer. Bobby Reid made a £10m move to Cardiff City and Joe Bryan left at the end of the transfer window to join Fulham, with the exodus frustrating a support base that had been dreaming of Premier League football at the turn of the year.

As a result, there is a chance Flint could receive a rough reception this afternoon, something Pulis feels would be unfair.

“Sometimes you go back to your old clubs and get a bit of stick, but that’s part and parcel of football,” said the Boro boss. “Hopefully, they respect what Flinty has done there and show him that respect.

“If they don’t, they don’t. You’ve got to accept in the modern world today that there’s going to be people out there who won’t see that, and will just see him leaving their football club and won’t be too happy with that.

“Football supporters’ characters are from one scale to the other. You’ve got some good ones and you’ve got some crazy ones as well. You have to accept it. That’s the way life is, and that’s the way football is too.”