Kim Hellberg drops Middlesbrough transfer update | OneFootball

Kim Hellberg knows what his side needs, but insists his main focus is on coaching those currently at Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg's current focus is on coaching those currently at the club, rather than making transfer demands to improve the side.

Boro fell out of the top two on New Year's Day after a third defeat in four games, and a fourth consecutive outing where his side has failed to score.

Goalscoring has always been an issue for Middlesbrough this season, however. Hellberg's side have netted 33 goals in their 25 Championship games, nine fewer than Ipswich Town and a whopping 22 fewer than Coventry City - the two sides now ahead of them in the second-tier table.

When taking into account that 11 of those goals came across a four-game period at the beginning of Kim Hellberg's reign, it really emphasises the need for goalscorers at the Riverside in the ongoing January transfer window.

The Boro boss knows this, but speaking following their recent 1-0 defeat at Derby County, Hellberg has refrained from demanding additions be made.

Kim Hellberg's focus is on who is currently at Middlesbrough, rather than new arrivals

After a dream start to the Kim Hellberg regime at the Riverside, Boro have hit a wall in terms of results and scoring goals, picking up just one point and scoring none in their last four.

Speaking after a second consecutive 1-0 defeat, this time at Derby, Hellberg refused to put the onus on the recruitment team to help him out, instead stating that it's his job to coach those currently at the club.

"That's not my job, and I don't want to be someone who pushes for things. We have [Adilson] Malanda coming in. We also have a lot of players away," he said, per a report from Teesside Live.

"All teams have that, so it's not an excuse, but of course, we need to look at that. [...] I don't want to sit here and make transfer demands. My job is to work with those who are here; that's the most important thing, and I'm going to do that.

"We are in the same position as we were eight games ago. We know that we need to score goals, and scoring isn't good enough."

When questioned whether he hopes that the club will be bringing in quality additions in the window, Hellberg answered as any other manager would.

"There's no coach in the world that doesn't want to have as many good players as possible. I think me and everyone else are in the same position.

"Everyone wants the best possible players they can get. I'm no different."

Middlesbrough bracing for an important transfer window

Kim Hellberg hasn't put any transfer pressure on the higher-ups at the Riverside, but he arguably doesn't need to. The recruitment team at the club know what's required, and the rest of the board understands that they need to improve to capitalise on the position they're in.

Teesside Live reported that the focus was on improving at the top end of the pitch before Hellberg's appointment, and despite that being eased slightly to see how the squad would shape up under the Swedish boss, conversations have been had recently to strengthen the squad.

It's been a whirlwind of a campaign so far for Middlesbrough. Not many thought that they'd be back challenging for automatic promotion or even the play-offs in their first season following the conclusion of the Michael Carrick experiment.

Now the possibility of a first Premier League campaign since the 2016/17 season is closer than it has ever been in the past eight Championship seasons, and Boro are keen to strengthen those chances with a solid January transfer window.