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Boro were today sweating on their bid to sign Steed Malbranque as the silky-skilled Frenchman continues to play the waiting game.
Gareth Southgate has made the mercurial Fulham midfielder his number one transfer target.
But the 26-year-old appears to be waiting for other clubs to declare their interest, or alternatively could now see out the remaining year of his contract before sealing a money-spinning free move.
Belgium-born Malbranque has been to Boro's Rockliffe Park training ground for talks, the Gazette understands.
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And Southgate has admitted to being an admirer of Malbranque's qualities, although both Boro and Fulham have remained otherwise tight-lipped on a mooted switch North.
The Cottagers' London rivals West Ham were also keen on Malbranque but were unwilling to come up with the kind of financial package Boro could offer.
Boro are also being linked with a swoop for a second Frenchman in Sidney Govou after the Lyon striker's agent said they are top of a list of clubs who are tracking him.
Southgate has hinted that he is happy with his striking options after allowing Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to leave on a free.
But Govou's representative Frederic Guerra claimed that: "Boro have been in touch with Lyon and also myself to sign Sidney.
"We will wait until the return of Sidney after the World Cup to decide.
"Many other clubs are interested in signing him."
Manchester City, Fulham, Rangers and Valencia have also been credited with an interest in Govou, who was drafted into France's World Cup squad as a replacement for injured Djibril Cisse.
The 26-year-old made four appearances in Les Blues' march to the final and wants to leave the French champions for a fresh challenge.
Meanwhile, striker Massimo Maccarone is determined to show his worth in the final year of his Boro contract.
The Italian is eager for a starting place after scoring some vital UEFA Cup goals last term and wants to earn a new deal at Boro or elsewhere in England.
"Massimo hopes to have a very important season," said his agent Paulo Fabri. "He is very interested in staying at Middlesbrough but, if not, he wants to stay in England."
Boro target Robert Huth saw his hopes of ending the World Cup on a high dashed by injury.
The giant Chelsea defender was in line to start for Germany in their third place play-off against Portugal.
But he injured himself in the warm-up and was replaced by Jens Nowotny as the hosts ran out 3-1 winners.
Former Boro hitman Hasselbaink, meanwhile, was reportedly due to undergo a medical at Charlton today as the Addicks appear in pole position to complete his signature.
The 34-year-old free agent held talks at the Valley last week and could now tie up a move should he come through tests unscathed.
New Charlton boss Iain Dowie has already started building for the new season, agreeing a £1m deal for Leeds utility man Simon Walton.
Hasselbaink now looks poised to become his second summer acquistion after the Dutchman's proposed switch to Celtic broke down over his wage demands.
"I do not think it will take too long a period before we are able to make a decision," said Hasselbaink's agent Humphrey Nijman.
Nijman also revealed that Aston Villa and Birmingham joined the hunt for Hasselbaink as Sheffield United ruled themselves out of it.
Is Govou a right winger? Could be good. We've also been linked with Brett Emerton as well.
07-11-2006, 05:02 PM
The Middlesbrough 06/07 Thread. "lets get back into Europe!" Post #53
Gareth Southgate's search for a new central defender has been thrown into turmoil after Robert Huth failed a medical.
Boro were hoping to tie up a £5m deal for the Chelsea stopper, but must now go back to the drawing board after tests uncovered an existing ankle problem.
Southgate has already dismissed a swoop for American international Oguchi Onyewu, as reported in yesterday's Gazette, after the American turned out to be a one-man free-kick machine at the World Cup.
So he must now revise his defensive plans completely after shelving the Huth deal.
The new Boro boss is having a frustrating time in the transfer market during the early part of his reign, although he received a boost today when Newcastle dropped out of the race to sign Steed Malbranque.
The Magpies have joined West Ham in ditching their interest in the Fulham midfielder, who the Cottagers want to sell to prevent him leaving for free next summer.
Fulham manager Chris Coleman has sent Malbranque to Austria with the youth team in response to his refusal to sign a new contract.
His only option could be a move to Boro, although Southgate will want him to sign for the right reasons rather than seeing the club as his only alternative.
Southgate may also see his rumoured admiration for Blackburn utility man Brett Emerton come to nought, with Rovers hopeful the Australian will sign a new deal which they have tabled.
The rookie Boro boss has admitted he is having to come to terms with the pitfalls of the transfer market fast as he tries to build for next season.
He said: "It's one of the things I'm learning very quickly that it's not easy bringing players in - there are lots of obstacles to overcome."
While Boro continue to struggle to bring in reinforcements, former full-back Abel Xavier has been thrown a career lifeline.
The Portuguese defender was sacked in disgrace in January after testing positive for an anabolic steroid after the UEFA Cup match against Xanthi in Greece last September.
But the much-travelled veteran has had his ban for breaching anti-doping rules slashed from 18 to 12 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
The decision comes seven months after UEFA rejected an appeal by the 33-year-old against a November ruling by UEFA's control and disciplinary committee.
And it raised eyebrows within European football's governing body.
"We have taken note of the CAS decision," said a UEFA spokesman.
"We are surprised by the verdict but cannot make any further comments before receiving the detailed reasoning of the decision."
Xavier recently expressed an interest in reviving his career in Australia.
The Gazette say's it was an existing ankle problem.
They are being a bit harsh with their description of Onyewu. He wasn't exactly impressive but it wasn't that bad.
I wonder who we will turn to next.
07-12-2006, 01:45 PM
The Middlesbrough 06/07 Thread. "lets get back into Europe!" Post #59
Oh and Herold Goulon becomes Southgate's first signing. He is a 18 year old central midfielder from Lyon according to the official website and by the sounds of it will be one for the future rather than the present.
I wonder if that is where the rumour about Govou came from. Maybe someone mis-heard his name and the rumour spread like a game of Chinese Whispers.
07-12-2006, 08:07 PM
The Middlesbrough 06/07 Thread. "lets get back into Europe!" Post #60
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