Middlesbrough's summer transfer business has seen the club reinvest heavily in their squad, but they still need 20 wins to revive their Championship promotion hopes.
Phil Parkinson believes Middlesbrough's summer transfer business shows they are intent on being as competitive as possible this season. The club has heavily reinvested in their squad, with several new signings making the move to Boro this summer.
Boro narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League after losing 1-0 to Hull City in the Championship play-off final at Wembley in May. Hayden Hackney, last season's English Football League Championship player of the season, was sold to Everton for a base fee of at least £16m.
They have also banked at least £20.4m for Morgan Rogers' switch from Aston Villa to Chelsea as a result of a sell-on clause they had following his move to Villa Park in 2024. This influx of cash has allowed the club to spend on new players.
Jeremy Sarmiento, Myles Peart-Harris, Kyle Joseph, Will Lankshear, Sebastian Berhalter, and Max Arfsten are among those to make the move to Boro this summer. Manager Phil Parkinson has praised the club's transfer business.
"They've spent quite a bit, but obviously they've brought a lot in for Hackney and they've got a sell-on clause as well for Rogers, so they've brought in money," said Parkinson. "But obviously they're looking to spend it and make themselves competitive again."
The club's new signings will be put to the test in the opening round of the EFL Cup against Wrexham at Riverside Stadium tonight. The two teams drew 1-1 in their first meeting last season, and also finished level in their reverse fixture at the Racecourse Ground on the final day of the regular season.
Midfielder George Thomason believes his side have already demonstrated they are more than a match for Boro. "We know they're a very possession-based team, so we're under no illusions that it's going to be a tough game," said the 25-year-old.
"They're still going to want to get into their rhythm and flow, but we know we matched them both home and away last year, they were both really tight games. So I expect it to be another one and we'll go out there, do our best to win and give them a good game."
Boro's Championship promotion hopes still look a long shot, with 20 wins needed to revive their chances. They face a tough test in the EFL Cup against Wrexham tonight, but the new signings will be looking to make an impact.
Source: Yahoo Sports