GARETH SOUTHGATE will be handed a £20 million summer war chest – and a brief to take Middlesbrough back into Europe.
Boro chairman Steve Gibson has pledged to allow Southgate to spend double what he has so far in 21 months in charge at the Riverside.
And with that net outlay lying standing at just over £20 million, the Teessiders will be major players in the close-season transfer market – if they avoid relegation.
But Gibson, although pleased with Southgate’s rebuilding job at the Riverside, wants his cash pledge to result in a top eight finish – or better – next season.
“The chairman is proud of the work Gareth has done in reshaping an ageing squad. They share the same vision, and that’s why his support for the manager has never wavered,” said a Boro source.
“It’s also why he is ready to back him – and big – in the summer.
“But the feeling is, and Gareth also shares this with the chairman, that the club should then be back in the top eight or thereabouts, with UEFA Cup qualification the ambition.”
Southgate’s chief targets are midfielders, and he is keeping a careful eye on Newcastle’s relegation battle with a view to a possible summer move for James Milner.
It is difficult not to feel a little despondent about Sunderland at the moment because no matter what sort of spin you try to put on it, three back to back defeats is difficult to accept....
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