Boro Mania

It’s that time of the year again where the club begins to be linked to every man and his dog, so id like to cast my own opinions on some of the more high profile players; players we should definitely avoid, who we've been linked to in the press and players i think would certainly improve Boro as a team.

Last month we brought you "update #1" where we covered players such as Luciano Becchio, Axel Witsel, Steven Defour and Stephen Appiah among others, and now that the rumor mill has spun a little more, i'm here to discuss some of the other stories that have surfaced with players rumored to be incoming and outgoing, as-well as players i think would definately be great buys for Boro.

press links for outgoing players

Tuncay Sanli - £8million - Chelsea

Tuncay has been a beacon of light ever since his free transfer move from Fenerbahce to Boro, so it's no surprise that he's been linked with a move to the league championship hopefuls. Tuncay's ability has always been one of great potential and he's been linked with many major moves over the years to teams such as Inter Milan, but they never materialized. Tuncay, however, has never really been keen on a move to a "giant" team for the simple reason that he craves playing week in-week out and doesn't want to sit on the bench behind other players. Tuncay loves life in Middlesbrough, and it much reminds him of his life back in Turkey as he's previously stated to the press. He seems to love life in Boro and enjoys pulling on the shirt every week, and unless he was offered a guaranteed place in their team, i don't think he'd want to be going anywhere.

Adam Johnson - £unknown - Real Madrid

One of the more spectacular links in the press as of late. Juande Ramos has voiced some small interest in Adam Johnson, among the facts that he's looking to add a left winger to his faltering Real Madrid side. This of course has opened even more speculation on Downing's future and his own at the club. Johnson is said to be flattered with the interest, but i can't see any deal being done at the moment. It's just paper talk.

Stewart Downing - £15million + Player - Tottenham

Downing has been linked with a move to Spurs every transfer window for years now, regardless of who is in charge. To be fair to Downing I think he has repaid Boro for their faith in him over the last few years and that if he is to move on to the next level and cement himself in the International team he may need to move on.

Gareth Southgate has recently stated his intention to hang on to the Pallister Park born winger:

Spurs have expressed an interest in Stewart but we're not interested in selling him,

We think we need to keep hold of our best players. If Tottenham are really interested then they have not shown that in the way they have approached it, so there's nothing doing there.

We feel that keeping the squad we have together is the most important thing we can do.

Matty Bates, Tony McMahon and Jonathan Grounds

Three of Boro's younger players have recently been linked with moves away. Matthew Bates has been linked with a loan move to continue his recovery from injury, though with his fine return to the first team against United last week this may not be necessary. Tony McMahon has been linked with a move to Championship and Carling Cup flyers, Burnley, with a possible permanent move on the cards. Norwich boss Glenn Roeder is said to be considering trying to bring Grounds back to Carrow Road on loan for a second spell.

Gary O'Neil - Portsmouth

Midfielder Gary O'Neil has been linked with a return to his former club Portsmouth. Portsmouth boss Tony Adams wants the former England Under-21 star as a replacement for Lassana Diarra, who has joined Real Madrid for £20m.

Gareth Southgate has reportedly turned down a £2.5M bid straight away, having paid £5m to land O’Neil from Pompey just 18 months ago.

Mido - Wigan

Mido has been linked with a move to Wigan for months now as Steve Bruce appears keen on linking him up with his International team mate Amr Zaki.

Personally if we could get near to what we paid for him I would get rid of him asap and spend the money on a replacement. He either cannot stay fit or he picks and chooses his games and Boro can not afford to carry him any longer.

Rumoured Incoming Players

Nemanja Matic and Juraj Hovancik - MFK Kosice

MFK Kosice pair Nemanja Matic and Juraj Hovancik were in Teesside for trials in early December, with Boro coaches giving glowing reports on both.

It looked likely that Middlesbrough would try to sign both players in january but initial negotiations appear to have stalled with Boro not prepared to meet Kosice's price tags. Rumours of interest from Spain and Italy have thrown increasing doubt on any possible deals.

Steven Fletcher - Hibernian

According to reports in Scotland Boro boss Gareth Southgate is set to bid £3m with add-ons to land the Hibernian striker.

Anthony Van Den Borre

Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are said to be keen on Fletcher, while Rangers, Celtic, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Manchester City and Everton have all been linked with the player in the past.

Boro could definatley do with added competition up front, especially if Mido continues missing as many games as he makes.

Anthony Van Den Borre - Genoa

Boro are said to be in the market for the Belgian fullback, and also appreciate Vanden Borre’s ability to play in the centre of midfield.

Seria A side Genoa only signed Vanden Borre from Fiorentina last summer, but are said to be willing to do business at around 5 million euros (£4.3 million). And Vanden Borre, whose brother, Frank, acts as his adviser, is said to be aware of Boro’s interest and the possibility of negotiating a salary worth double his current £15,000-a-week wages.

Armand Traore - Arsenal

We brought you an article a month or so ago about a possible move for Arsenal's Armand Traore, the full/wing back is currently on loan at Portsmouth.

The young French star is seen by Southgate as a new left-back - the position he played at the start of his career with the Gunners - rather than in midfield where he is playing for Pompey. Left back is a problem area for Boro with Andrew Taylor struggling with form and Emanuel Pogatetz much better at centre back.

Marko Pantelic - Hetha Berlin

30-year-old Serbian Pantelic has been at Hertha since joining from Red Star Belgrade in 2005 and has scored 42 goals in 101 Bundesliga appearances during his time at the Olympic Stadium.

Despite the interest of Boro along with a host of other Premiership teams including Everton, West Brom and Wigan, Pantelic could favour a move to Spurs due to the fact that he speaks the same language as Tottenham players Luka Modric and Vedran Corluka.

Ben Watson - Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace midfielder Ben Watson is another player Boro are rumoured to be looking at, read this article fo a Palace view on Ben Watson. Watson is a creative midfielder who likes to get forward and support the attack, the type of player Boro are crying out for. Whether or not he can step up to the Premiership is unclear but it may be worth the risk, particularly as his contract with Palace is up in the summer so we should be able to get him for a decent price.

If you have heard of any rumours let us know in the comments or join the Boro Mania forum to discuss them with other Boro fans.