Kim Hellberg drops 'exciting' Middlesbrough transfer update | OneFootball

The Middlesbrough boss knows that he needs a lot more additions to his squad this summer

The World Cup always slows down transfer activity in the early stages of the summer window, but now that the greatest tournament in football is done and dusted, many are expecting things to ramp up as the 2026/27 campaign closes in.

For Middlesbrough, there have been two new arrivals thus far: Myles Peart-Harris on a free transfer following his departure from Oxford United, and Kyle Joseph, who arrived for a reported £4 million from last season's play-off victors Hull City.

But Kim Hellberg's side are far from done. Not only did they go into the summer desperately needing to add strength in depth and some clinical finishers, but they've also lost key personnel this summer too.

Alan Browne and Matt Targett will not be returning after their loan spells, captain Dael Fry has joined Birmingham City, and, above all, Championship Player of the Season Hayden Hackney has also moved on, joining Everton for up to £24 million.

But there's plenty of room in the budget now to help bolster the Middlesbrough squad, and the Swedish boss is looking forward to seeing what the recruitment team can do ahead of the new season starting in less than three weeks.

Kim Hellberg excited about Middlesbrough transfer prospects in the coming weeks

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Not only will Middlesbrough have money from the Hackney sale to reinvest in the squad, but they're set to receive around £20.2 million once Morgan Rogers makes his £117 million move to Chelsea from Aston Villa — a record sell-on fee in the Premier League.

According to the Northern Echo, Boro boss Kim Hellberg is allowing the recruitment team at the Riverside to lead their transfer activity, but he does work closely with them and is excited about what business the club can do in the coming weeks.

"I don't know how quickly we'll go, but we're trying to get them in as quickly as possible," he said. "Steve [Gibson], Neil [Bausor], Kieran [Scott] together with me and other people are working very, very hard to get the best solutions.

"Until they come, it's a way to give people opportunities to increase the depth in the squad in terms of giving them the opportunity to grow.

"It will be very exciting weeks coming up. We have a very good recruitment side here who work very hard. They're very good at bringing forward names who suit the way we want to play.

"There's good co-operation in terms of what types of profiles we are looking for. They're very good at their job, and they're bringing forward a lot of good names. In football it's not always possible to get everyone, but it will be interesting to see what happens."

While Hellberg is relishing the opportunity to give some younger and fringe players from his first half-season at the club the chance to impress and bolster the squad from within, there's no doubt that he'll be wanting new arrivals to do that, too.

The Northern Echo states that Middlesbrough are on the lookout for a striker, more versatile forward players, a couple of central midfielders, a left-back, a centre-back and a goalkeeper this summer, so a busy month will be expected at the Riverside on the transfer front.

Middlesbrough have to get the summer transfer window right to strengthen their promotion chances

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And, at points last season, Kim Hellberg proved that he was one of the best managers in the division when things clicked on the field, and his Middlesbrough side were singing from the same hymn sheet.

However, the lack of depth was exposed in key moments towards the end of last season, and with just two wins in their final 13 games, including the play-offs, it was evident that Boro ran out of steam.

You'd expect this year to be a bit more difficult, with the likes of West Ham, Wolves and Burnley joining other promotion near-missers from previous seasons.

Therefore, a strong transfer window could be the difference between Boro going one better than last year or facing an 11th consecutive year in the second tier.