Tony Pulis blasts Middlesbrough's recruitment policy after disastrous transfer window

Following relegation from the Premier League and Garry Monk’s appointment at the Riverside, Boro spent around £50million on new signings two and a half years ago.

Pulis took charge of Boro in December 2017 and repeatedly commented on the club’s financial situation during his 18 months on Teesside – despite consistently praising owner Steve Gibson.

Boro’s problems have worsened since then, and despite finishing 5th and 7th in the last two Championship seasons, the club now find themselves in the relegation zone under head coach Jonathan Woodgate.

The Teessiders’ spending has decreased significantly this season, though, with the club still trying to balance the books following previous transfer windows.

Last summer, Boro spent around £3million on new players, while most of that fee secured Anfernee Dijksteel’s transfer from Charlton.

It’s a point Pulis reiterated recently while speaking as a pundit on BBC Radio 5 Live.

“Recruitment is everything,” said the Welshman “The window Middlesbrough had before I joined was probably the most disastrous one that the football club have ever had.

“It takes two or three years for a club to recover from that kind of window.”

“If you have a bad window and bring in players who have not performed and they are on enormous amounts of money, who else is going to take them?

“The other thing is that you have to balance is are you going to get your money back if you do sell them?

“Football clubs are run as a business as well and chairmen look at these players and think ‘we are not going to sell him for half the price we paid for him’ after just 12 months.”

“Then you think ‘the kid hasn’t shown it in the first year but he might show it in the next’ and then you get yourself in a whirlwind. It is very dangerous when you get caught in it.”