Middlesbrough won't be having £5m Hull City transfer regret - Boro star "calms" Rob Edwards | OneFootball

Boro were strongly linked with a move for Hull goalkeeper Ivor Pandur in the summer.

Middlesbrough were heavily linked with a potential £5m move for Hull City goalkeeper Ivor Pandur in the summer, but Sol Brynn will have put any Teesside transfer regret to bed.

Boro are a team transformed under Rob Edwards to start the 2025/26 season.

Five wins and three draws from their opening eight league games mean it's just Middlesbrough and Coventry City who are yet to taste defeat heading into the final game before the October international break this weekend.

For many Smoggies, the most notable improvement made under their new coaching team has been in defence, as with just five goals conceded so far this term, the Boro backline looks significantly more organised and resilient to opposition threats than it was under Michael Carrick.

Middlesbrough were heavily linked with Hull City goalkeeper Ivor Pandur in the summer window

A big factor behind Middlesbrough's early-season success has been the fact that they're already seeing the fruits of their labour from their summer recruitment.

After a slow start to the window following, due in large part to the time they afforded themselves to make a decision on Carrick's future and then ultimately finding his replacement in Edwards, Boro chiefs ensured that their new boss would be backed to the hilt in the market.

Starting with Hull City centre-back Alfie Jones and ending with the free agent capture of veteran goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin, Middlesbrough made 11 new signings in the summer, with all of them making sound and clear sense.

Every single one of the new arrivals - with the exception of McLaughlin and Adilson Malanda who will link-up with the club in January - have already made a significant impact in the Championship, in what appears to be one of the club's best transfer window classes in a long time.

It might have been 12 new signings, however, as Middlesbrough were strongly linked with a move for Hull City goalkeeper Ivor Pandur.

Journalist Alan Nixon claimed that Boro were prepared to pay as much as £5m to sign the 25-year-old Croatian keeper, who had enjoyed an impressive debut 24/25 season at the MKM Stadium, and it was his form that was undoubtedly a big reason as to why the Tigers were able to survive the drop.

Indeed, Nixon even reported that Middlesbrough were prepared to put a package deal together for Pandur that would have included Seny Dieng going in the other direction.

Ultimately, no such move materialised, and Pandur remains at Hull City for the time being.

Sol Brynn is proving why Boro were right to put their faith in one of their own

That won't be of any concern to Middlesbrough though, as in one of their very own, they appear to have found their number one goalkeeper of the future.

Sol Brynn is a Teessider through and through, and has been with the club since 2009, and his talent and potential has long been something that those inside the club have been very excited about.

Patience had been the name of the game for the 24-year-old up until this season though, as he's been sent out on numerous loan missions to the likes of Darlington, Queen of the South, Swindon Town and Leyton Orient respectively over the last few years.

However, he finally got his big Boro break midway through last season, as he made his Middlesbrough league debut in a 6-2 away win over Oxford United in late November.

It looked like he was firmly on the path to establishing himself as the starting goalkeeper over the next few weeks, but would dislocate his shoulder in a Boxing Day draw with Sheffield Wednesday, which sidelined him for the rest of the campaign.

But, now back fully fit, he's been the shotstopper Edwards has turned to lead his Riverside revolution, and the Boro academy graduate has been nothing short of superb.

Through the opening eight games of the season, Brynn has kept four clean sheets, provided a commanding presence in the Boro goal, and is just one of those keepers who simply looks the part in-between the sticks.

When discussing the performances of his goalkeeper, Edwards said: "I’ve been really impressed with him. He’s a lovely lad and this is his club, so everyone is going to be behind him.

"He calms me, and that’s nice praise for a goalkeeper. He has a high ceiling and is showing that at the moment."

It was Brynn who won Middlesbrough a point in their recent clash with Stoke City, as he was able to take his performance level to another gear to match the Potters' much-improved display in the second 45, as he made some top-class saves.

Whether it was pawing away Sorba Thomas' excellent curling effort, or making brave, point-blank saves, Brynn was made to earn his clean sheet, and it's to him that Boro owe the fact their unbeaten record is still intact heading into their game against Portsmouth on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Pandur, on the other hand, is not enjoying the same success and performance levels he displayed for Hull last term to start the current one.

In his first eight games of the 25/26 campaign, he's conceded 16 goals, and has kept just the one clean sheet so far ahead of their clash with Sheffield United on Saturday.

Therefore, it's safe to assume that Middlesbrough will be very happy that they kept their money in their wallet when it comes to Pandur, as the faith they've placed in one of their own has seen them rewarded massively already.