"I think the size of this club will be a massive boost for us to get more out of Mark than he has produced previously," said Allardyce. "There was the spell at Leeds when everything was looking nice and rosy and they were flying high with him and Alan Smith up front. But it was a fleeting moment.

"Hopefully, in his three-year contract with us, we can grow something more sustainable and get more out of him than other clubs have done. Going back to Middlesbrough, he shouldn't need any motivation for that."

Allardyce feels the big Aussie could be one of the bargains of the summer.

"You'd have to ask Mark what went on with his contract at Middlesbrough, but all I know was that he was available on a free transfer after scoring 14 Premiership goals last season.

And it cost them £6.8m in a transfer fee to replace him with Mido.

"I would like to think that I can help him achieve more consistency and that he would like to change himself a little bit that way as well."