With the arrivals of Diego Fabrini from Watford and Christian Stuani from Espanyol, there seems to be no end to Middlesbrough's summer spending.

Aitor Karanka has seemingly taken the approach of spending big to get promotion back to the Premier League after losing the play-off final last season against Norwich.

That defeat had hit Boro hard but it looks as if Boro chairman Steve Gibson believes in Karanka, and with some investment Mourinho's protege could get the North East club to the top division.

Stuani and Fabrini follow some top players that already have been brought in so far. The signing of Stewart Downing from West Ham would have raised a few eyebrows as the England man has taken the unusual step down to the Championship from the Premier League, and the £5.5m fee for the England international shows Boro's intent as they seek promotion back to the top-flight.

Thomas Kalas has been signed on loan as well, along with Alex Baptitse. And with a possible move for Jordan Rhodes in the pipeline, it is fair to say the North East club are going to spend big for the prospect of Premier League football.

However, it isn't really the norm in the Championship. There isn't usually a lot of  big spending, as clubs tend to cut down in wages and go for lower risk, lower fee signings as the money is far less than that in the Premier League.

There have been some exceptions, of course, such as last season when Fulham spent £11m on Ross McCormack but little elsewhere, which left the Londoners horribly short and their over reliance on youth meant Fulham struggled and never got close to challenging for promotion.

Another example of some big spending to get promotion was in 2011/12 season, when West Ham spent little over £4million on Kevin Nolan, who took the step down from the Premier League to join the Hammers. That summer window saw the East Londoners spend over £10m on new players as they attempted to bounce straight back up to the Premier League.

And it was successful for Big Sam's men as they gained promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs, but failure to do so could've cost the Hammers dear. Those are the risks you take when spending big and, Boro will be all too aware of those risks.

Furthermore, these two examples perhaps highlight how spending big doesn't always guarantee promotion. Nevertheless, with the right investment, Boro could certainly get back to the Premier League and maybe it could be the push the North East club needs to finally get over that line after a five year exile.

Only time will tell, but with the big investment the Boro board will certainly expect Karanka to deliver promotion. But the question is; can Boro's manager deliver the goods?