Jonathan Woodgate explains Middlesbrough's recruitment policy ahead of January transfer window

Middlesbrough head coach Jonathan Woodgate is confident he’ll have the final say when it comes to signing new players – but admits he must trust the club’s recruitment team.
Middlesbrough boss Jonathan Woodgate.Middlesbrough boss Jonathan Woodgate.
Middlesbrough boss Jonathan Woodgate.

Boro still have nine games until the January transfer window, yet potential signings are being monitored all the time by the Teessiders.

And while Woodgate has a good idea about the players he wants to bring in, it’s impossible for the head coach to keep track of them all.

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“You have a recruitment team which identifies players and then you can look at the ones they’ve identified and pick the ones out of that bunch that they give you,” explains Woodgate.

“So, as an example, some old school players, you’ve got Ferdinand, Terry, King, Vidic so I’ve got those four players, I go through them all and go right I’d have him.

“They are all the same standard so who would you pick out of them and then you can go off what your recruitment guys have said and you fix it together so I go on your opinion who has seen him more than me.

“You have got to trust opinions. They’ve got the time to watch them and really tell me what they do, paint a picture of the player.”

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It’s no secret that Boro’s squad is worryingly thin following several departures in the summer, with new signings now expected to arrive in the new year.

Still, Woodgate insists the club will only bring in players who fit into his plans.

“I’ll want to sign players who I like – I won’t be signing players who I’m not really keen on,” adds the Boro boss. “I’m sure I’ll have the final say on who goes and who comes.”

But while potential arrivals are already being discussed behind the scenes, plans could change between now and the mid-season window.

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“There are lots of different players who perform week in week out,” adds Woodgate. “Some don’t play well some move off the list, some come onto the list.

“It’s a structure that the recruitment team deal with then they give the list to me.”