Kim Hellberg delivers his verdict on Middlesbrough's transfer activity
· Mark Carruthers · 2026-08-07 · nguồn gốc
Kim Hellberg delivers his verdict on Middlesbrough's transfer activity as Boro prepare for Wrexham
Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg has discussed the club’s transfer activity ahead of Friday’s Carabao Cup tie with Wrexham.
Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg has expressed his delight over the recent flurry of transfer activity ahead of his side’s first competitive game of the season.
The departures of the likes of Hayden Hackney, Dael Fry and Matt Targett left considerable holes in the Boro squad ahead of Hellberg’s first full season in charge - but the Riverside Stadium hierarchy have worked hard to boost the Swede’s ranks ahead of Friday night’s Carabao Cup tie with Championship rivals Wrexham.
Further deals are in the works with Manchester United goalkeeper Radek Vittek and Tottenham Hotspur defender Ashley Phillips both on the verge of joining Boro after deals for Brighton winger Jeremy Sarmiento, Hull City striker Kyle Joseph, Tottenham Hotspur forward Will Lankshear and United States internationals Sebastian Berhalter and Max Arfsten were completed over the last six weeks. Those moves have pleased Hellberg as he explained why it was important for the club to ensure they are fully prepared to challenge on a number of fronts during the new season.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, the Boro boss said of having strength in depth: “Massively important - but it’s not only that, it’s important to build that quality and potential. We lost some very good players. But also to get players at the beginning that are more suitable to the way we want to play as a person, as players, how they are for the club in terms of development. I think it was a big, big, big, big window for the club, for everyone. We have done everything we can and a lot of credit to everyone above me, they’ve been absolutely brilliant in this window and I am very thankful for that. They worked everyday and are still working so hopefully we see some more. It was very important and again, I am looking forward to starting to work with them.”
‘A perfect person’
The signings of United States duo Berhalter and Arfsten mean they will join fellow countryman Aidan Morris in the Boro squad ahead of Friday’s opener against a Wrexham side that are expected to push for the Premier League during the new season. Hellberg praised Morris for the role he has played in ensuring his international team-mates were open to joining him on Teesside and believes the midfielder has said ‘a lot of good things’ about life at the Riverside Stadium.
“Aidan is brilliant. He is a brilliant player, a perfect person. I think everyone knows how much I like him and you can see how his friends have talked to him about Middlesbrough, about the club, about how we train, about the supporters, all those things. I think that’s the best way because if Aidan told them about moving here from America, he must have told them a lot of good things about the club and the supporters because he knows that.”