Boro's move for Jordan Rhodes is a massive statement of intent by Steve Gibson.
Rhodes has had a quiet season so far and has scored just 13 - more than any Boro player.
In his two full seasons at Blackburn he has scored 28 and 25. In his last season at Huddersfield before his £8m move to Rovers he cracked in 40.
He is a proven and prolific striker who far more than anyone else on the Boro books right now has shown he “can do it in the Championship.”
Most Boro fans given the chance to add an extra body now for the run-in would chose just such a player.
For all the passing and possession and creative approach play in games that they have dominated, Boro have lacked a cutting edge in key moments.
The stats have showed week after week that they have bossed and bullied the opposition with 20 shots here, 24 there and a broadside of 27 against Leeds.
And they have laid siege with a flurry of free-kicks and corners too, pinning teams down but lacking penetration.
But topping the OPTA tables doesn’t get you promoted. Winning games gets you promoted. And goals win games.
If Boro are to get over the line and secure promotion to the Promised Land of the Premier League then they need to find a way to finish off teams.
They need extra options up front. They need teeth. They need extra firepower if they are to grab the big prize.
And that is what is at stake now. Boro invested heavily in the summer to build a strong team with depth and options and that has taken them slowly and steadily towards a four way summit split in one of the closest Championship chases ever.
Boro are well placed but the outcome of the campaign is far from certain - and given the stakes it is crucial to swing the odds decisively in our favour if at all possible.
Let’s be clear: this could be Boro’s best chance and only chance of scrambling back aboard the gravy train.
The economics of football are about to be distorted dramatically as the Premier League riches hit the second tier.
Next season the three relegated clubs will have huge top flight parachute payments worth £48m on top of what they have already made from their spell in the spotlight.
There are already teams with far more financial muscle than Boro. It could be now or never.
And Steve Gibson has once again shown he is willing to get his chequebook out if he thinks it is necessary and effective.
He is already paying £12m a year for his season ticket and has supported Aitor Karanka all the way in the transfer market to build a squad fit to compete.
To splash out now is a clear statement that he intends to give his head coach every tool possible to finish the job.
And Gibson is a Boro fan with a keen sense of history.
He knows that in the past a timely addition up front has swung tight title races our way.
He remembers the dramatic impact that loan signings Uwe Fuchs and Macro Branca had on previous promotion pushes.
If Rhodes can be secured - rivals Derby and Norwich are also keen but Boro believe they are in pole position - and can bang a few in it could just galvanise the team in similar fashion and fire Boro to glory.
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