Middlesbrough have announced the signing of Cyrus Christie from Derby County. The right back signed in favour of Boro alongside Jonny Howson. They are now expected to be on the flight to Portugal as the Teessiders have planned to spend the pre-season there.
Christie is one of Garry Monk’s first signing but there would be a couple of more arrivals as Monk is trying to restart the whole process at the Riverside Stadium.
The manager left Leeds United after failing to clinch a playoff spot. Boro also parted ways with Aitor Karanka in the midst of the last season after the disastrous performance in the Premier League.
Boro’s sole concentration will be to achieve a promotion next season following their drop to the Championship last campaign. Monk has had enough experience of the Championship and the squad he has currently will be enough to steer them through to the next step.
Christie came through the ranks of Coventry City and went on to appear 102 times for them. But the Sky Blues let him go after they agreed on a deal for Andre Wisdom from Liverpool.
Seamus Coleman’s injury opened a whole new dimension for Christie as he made it to the starting lineup for the Republic Of Ireland in a recent World Cup Qualifier against Austria.
Coleman needs time to be fully fit which means the Boro right back will have the chance to nail down a permanent place under Martin O’Neill before the World Cup starts next year.
Boro had to toil to get a deal done as they saw their initial bid rejected by Derby. But an improved offer followed and Derby couldn’t turn down the opportunity to cash in on him.
Antonio Barragan who joined the Riversiders last year left the club to join Spanish side Real Betis on loan. After his departure Monk was looking for a right back and chalked out a number of names.
After a few hiccups, the Championship side have managed to rope in the player who is expected to be in charge of the right side of the defence next season. The powerful fullback used to be a winger in the starting days of his career but later changed his position to a more defensive right back.
So if needed, Monk can use him as a wing-back to inject some pace and acceleration to the side. Signs of improvement have been there but the 24-year-old has to make certain changes to his playing style to cement a place in the starting lineup.
