Middlesbrough's excellent start to the 2026/27 Championship campaign has continued by extending their current unbeaten streak to nine league games with a 2-2 home draw with Cardiff City, as head coach Kim Hellberg sets his sights firmly on promotion to the Premier League.

With six wins, four draws, and one loss in their opening 11 Championship games this season, Middlesbrough certainly could've had a much worse start to the campaign.

A busy summer window saw both Hayden Hackney and Morgan Whittaker depart, followed by the arrivals of Ashley Phillips, Will Lankshear, Radek Vitek, Sebastian Berhalter, and Max Arfsten, to name a handful.

Morgan Rogers' move from Aston Villa to Chelsea presented Boro with a lucrative sell-on fee, as the Teesside outfit endured arguably one of the best transfer windows the division has ever seen.

One signing, however, has yet to prove worth the money.

Middlesbrough signed Rokas Pukstas for £4.3 million in the summer window

The American market has been one that Middlesbrough have found great success with in recent times, with Aidan Morris and Adilson Malanda having been joined by Berhalter and Arfsten this summer, whilst Emmanuel Latte Lath and Whittaker have headed in the opposite direction previously.

Rokas Pukstas, 22, has never played a professional game in the United States, but having been born and raised in the country, has represented the Red, White, and Blue at youth level on numerous occasions, and made the move to Boro for around £4.3 million in the most recent window from Croatian outfit Hajduk Split.

Pukstas joined a highly competitive midfield area containing the likes of Berhalter, Morris, Connor Barron, Riley McGree, Myles Peart-Harris, and Leo Castledine, but despite this obvious competition, chose to make the move to Teesside ahead of two other English clubs.

Birmingham City and Hull City were both interested in Rokas Pukstas before Middlesbrough switch

Pukstas, having come through the ranks of Hajduk Split, made 142 appearances across all competitions for the Croatian outfit, scoring 27 and assisting ten despite still being just 22, having been a mainstay in the side since 22.

Interest in him this summer was always going to be rife, as Boro reportedly faced competition from both Birmingham City and Hull City for his signature.

However, Pukstas would opt to make the move to Teesside over the Midlands and Humberside, but he has yet to make an impact at the Riverside Stadium.

Rokas Pukstas has had a slow start to life at Middlesbrough

With the strength and depth of competition ahead of him at Middlesbrough, it's hardly a surprise that Pukstas has struggled to make any sort of impact in Hellberg's side in the opening couple of months since his move to the Championship.

The 22-year-old has made just two appearances for Boro thus far, one in the league and one in the EFL Cup, both being six-minute cameos late on off the bench.

Pukstas would remain an unused substitute for four of the opening five league games, but has been out of the matchday squads entirely since Boro's 1-0 home victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Hellberg confirming the midfielder has sustained an injury which will see him out of action until beyond October.

With almost a quarter of the season gone, it's certainly not the start to life Pukstas would have envisioned upon his move to Boro, but having signed a contract until the summer of 2031 and still just 22, time is firmly on his side, and it would be no surprise to see him come good eventually.

However, for now, the American has yet to justify that fee through little fault of his own, as Birmingham and Hull may feel as though they have dodged a bullet with this deal.

What have you made of Rokas Pukstas' start to life with Middlesbrough? Have Birmingham and Hull dodged a bullet with this deal, or will they live to regret missing out on him? Share your thoughts below!

Birmingham City and Hull City may have avoided a £4.3 million transfer bullet at Middlesbrough's expense

Birmingham are also flying high towards the top of the Championship table alongside Boro, having lost just one of their opening 11 league games as well, as Chris Davies' side look like real promotion contenders as well.

The Blues, for now, will have few regrets about missing out on Pukstas, even if their attacking midfield role is fairly light as things stand, as even if the American had chosen St Andrews, he would have struggled to displace Jay Stansfield in the side.

Hull are looking to cement their status as a Premier League side following an unexpected promotion last year, and though they have undergone a slight dip in form as of late, head coach Sergej Jakirovic will believe his side has enough, especially in midfield, to stay up, and will likely have few second thoughts regarding Pukstas.

For now, it looks as though Birmingham and Hull have dodged a bullet, though whether that will prove to be the case, only time will tell.