Karanka: Middlesbrough spirit still strong

With 12 new arrivals Middlesbrough had a busy summer in the transfer window, but manager Aitor Karanka believes his side have retained the spirit that got them to the Premier League.

Victor Valdes, Alvaro Negredo, Calum Chambers and Adama Traore have all arrived at the Riverside, bolstering Karanka’s squad ahead of their assault on the English top-flight.

Despite Chambers and Traore arriving late on, the vast majority arrived early in the window, leaving Karanka plenty of time to build unity among his squad.

“We knew it was going to be a tough season in the Premier League. With 12 new players, we’ve increased the quality,” Karanka said.

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

“We have a very good squad and I have all the players I wanted to have.

“One week after getting promotion we had a meeting to bring the right players in as soon as possible.

“I have said since we went to Marbella in pre-season that I was really pleased. We could train in Spain with almost a full squad.The club has worked really well behind the scenes this season.

“Now the main thing is the position in the table and it is a reflection of how well the team has done.

“We have changed a few players, but the spirit is the same, the atmosphere is the same and the new players have settled very well.”