PLYMOUTH were braced for this week's transfer disappointment.

Argyle are well aware of the dangers of loan transfers and 12 months ago, in the middle of their League One promotion push, lost Morgan Whittaker when he was recalled by Swansea City. It cost Plymouth £1m or so in the summer to get him back.

But in the weeks that led to the opening of the January transfer window, Argyle were well aware of the prospect of a repeat with Finn Azaz.

Azaz helped to ease the pain of Whittaker's exit last season. The 23-year-old joined Argyle on loan in the summer of 2022 but faced three months on the sidelines with a broken ankle. He returned to action last January and played a starring role as Plymouth got over the line and won promotion.

Argyle prioritised the recapture of Azaz last summer. A permanent deal was considered but with Whittaker joining and the Pilgrims equalling their club record to sign Bali Mumba, they opted for another loan.

Former boss Steven Schumacher was delighted to have Azaz back as he planned for life in the second tier. Schumacher once said of Boro's new recruit: “He’s probably the most intelligent footballer, away from football, I have ever met and his game knowledge is outstanding.

There were fears at Plymouth of a Stoke City ambush when Schumacher left for the Potters last month.

Regardless of Schumacher's intentions, Argyle were well aware that there was concrete interest from other rivals in the Aston Villa midfielder. Southampton and Bristol City were interested. Indeed, the Robins had a bid accepted. But it was Boro who won the battle - dealing a blow to three of their Championship rivals in the process.

"He's technically very gifted, there is no doubt about that," said Plymouth's caretaker boss Neil Dewsnip after the midfielder's stunning volley in the draw with Watford. We'll get to his goals shortly.

That was only a week ago and Dewsnip went on to tell of his "hope" that Azaz stayed at Home Park.

Argyle soon realised that wasn't going to be the case.

The Boro move progressed quickly this week - but it's a signing that's been 12 months in the making. Boro have a good relationship with Aston Villa - with Cameron Archer and Aaron Ramsey having both joined on loan 12 months ago - but this wasn't a case of Boro taking advantage of links between coaching staff and former players, rather a matter of Azaz being a player long admired by the recruitment team at Rockliffe.

That Azaz stood out in the 3-3 draw against his new club in the November draw came as no surprise to Boro, for they had been closely watching the attacking midfielder. There have been at least five watching briefs this season after progress was followed last term and Boro were keen to waste no time once the window opened.

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On Wednesday, with Azaz heading for Boro to undergo his medical, confirmation came that Villa had exercised the loan recall option, cutting short his Plymouth stay.

Azaz then posted on Instagram: "The past 18 months really have been special. Thank you to everyone involved at Argyle. I leave the club with nothing but fond memories.

"It has been a true honour and a privilege to be a part of and play for this football club. I’ve formed some amazing relationships and met some great people along the way, and wish you all the best for the future."

Boro's new recruit has been capped by Republic of Ireland Under-21s and Schumacher previously tipped the midfielder to go on and become an established senior international.

He joins Boro having scored seven goals and created five more for Plymouth this season. One of his seven strikes was the stunner against Michael Carrick's side. And the aforementioned volley against Watford last weekend was a work of art.

He's made something of a name for himself with his Goal of the Season contenders. At Newport - his first loan spell away from Villa after joining from West Brom - he scooped an EFL Young Player of the Month award - and scored a beauty in a game against Port Vale.

During that loan spell with the Exiles, he spoke to the Mirror and offered a taster of what Boro can now expect from their new recruit.

“I'm someone who likes to get on the ball a lot, and try to influence games higher up the pitch, because I feel I'm more effective further forward," he said.

Azaz has played a lot of his football for Plymouth this season in a midfield three but at Boro he'll be used further forward in one of the attacking roles behind the striker. In the short term, the signing helps to boost Carrick's options in an area depleted by the temporary exit of Riley McGree and Sammy Silvera.

But this is another Boro signing with the long term future in mind. Azaz, who only turned 23 in September, has his best years ahead of him and four and a half of those have now been committed to Boro.

It's a positive and exciting start to the transfer window on Teesside, with Boro now set to turn their attention to the signing of a defender next. That will likely be a loan. Boro will also continue to weigh up their striker options. If the right player is available - again most likely a loan at this stage - Boro will make their move, but they won't sign a frontman for the sake of it and risk halting the progress of Josh Coburn and Emmanuel Latte Lath.

Boro are confident they have goals in their ranks - and on the evidence of the first half of the season, Azaz will chip in with his fair share. He'll certainly create plenty of opportunities. No player in the Championship has created more chances than his 63 this season.

He'll have to watch from the stands today after a delay at the Villa end yesterday and he's cup-tied for Tuesday's visit of Chelsea but he'll be hoping to add to that chances created tally for Boro, starting at Millwall next Saturday.