Why it's proving tricky for Middlesbrough in the transfer market as Neil Warnock eyes second summer signing

Boro boss Neil Warnock hoped to complete another deal before the end of last week as the Teessiders look to strengthen their depleted squad.

The addition of centre-back Grant Hall on a free transfer looks like a shrewd piece of business, yet Warnock has admitted the club needs at least ‘five or six’ more players to bolster his options.

Ideally, Boro will be able to make more additions before the squad return to training next week, before the start of the new Championship campaign on September 12.

Yet many second tier clubs are still awaiting their first signing since the window re-opened on July 27, due to the uncertainty of the market and players weighing up their decisions.

Warnock has been looking to strengthen Boro’s attacking ranks but admitted last week it will be difficult to find better options than Britt Assombalonga and Ashley Fletcher.

Boro did identify Wigan striker Kieffer Moore as a potential alternative, yet Warnock’s former side Cardiff have always been regarded as frontrunners to sign the Welsh international.

A move for Moore does raise question marks over Assombalonga’s future, especially as the 27-year-old only has one year left on his contract after joining Boro for £15million in 2017.

Warnock has also admitted every player has their price and Boro may have to sell to bring bodies in.

Another option is to take advantage of the loan market, and it’s been well documented Boro are keen to bring academy graduate Ben Gibson back to the Riverside from Burnley.

Any deal for the 27-year-old would depend on the Clarets finding a replacement and paying a percentage of the centre-back’s wages, a common issue when trying to acquire players from Premier League clubs.

“We’ve identified three or maybe four lads in the Premier League that are very interesting in terms of maybe getting them on loan,” said Warnock last week.

"We’ve already been told on one of them, probably our number one choice, that they won’t be making a decision until after the 24th of August. That’s obviously not ideal.”

A message from the Editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Hartlepool Mail website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.