Wilder feels he has got the balance right as he hails the arrival of Wolves’ wideman
CHRIS Wilder hopes Ryan Giles brings much-needed balance to Middlesbrough’s team by adding more attacking impetus to the lefthand side.
The young wide man has joined the Teessiders on loan from Wolves for the upcoming season, the Boro boss describing it as an exciting signing.
Giles’ move to the Riverside Stadium comes off the back of an impressive season during separate loan spells at Cardiff City and Blackburn Rovers where he made 31 appearances, assisting ten goals.
At just 22, he arrives having already played more than 100 EFL games.
Last term Boro saw Isaiah Jones enjoy an incredible breakthrough to the first team, establishing himself at right wing-back after Wilder’s arrival as manager.
His attacking impetus made him Boro’s biggest threat far more often than not - but with the Teessiders lacking the same attacking quality on the opposite flank some sides were able to limit them by simply removing Jones’ effectiveness in a game.
As such, when assessing his squad at the end of last season, signing a new attack-minded left-wing back became a priority for the Boro boss and when he realised Giles was available for loan again and keen on the move to Teesside he moved swiftly to wrap up the deal.
Wilder said of Giles: “Ryan is a really bright young player who has had plenty of experience in the Championship and I think he brings the qualities we want on that lefthand side.
“We undoubtedly have that on the right-hand side with Jonah and we needed that matching up on the lefthand side.
“We all understand what Izzy did in a short period of time and hopefully he will continue that form - I’m sure he will.
“I think what we wanted to do was make sure we had the same attacking threat on the left-hand side and I believe we’ve done that.”
He added: “Ryan was a player hugely coveted this summer.
“I should imagine from his point of view he’s watched us and sees that this is a club and a team going places and he wants to be part of that.
“His stats at the top of the pitch going forward are great so hopefully he can continue that in a possession-based team.
“If we get the ball into him in the positions we want him in, as we did with Jonah, hopefully he can have the same effect Izzy had but over on the left. That will balance us off.”
A winger by trade, Giles will have to learn the defensive details of his new role in the Boro team but Wilder is confident he will manage that no problem at all – much like Jones who was also a winger before Wilder’s arrival.
Arriving so early in the summer too, it gives Wilder and his coaching staff plenty of time to drill those intricate details into the 22-year-old.
Wilder said: “Of course, he will have defensive duties as part of his role which we’ll work on with him.
“He’s a really exciting young player who I’m sure at the top of the pitch will make us a more exciting team.
“He’ll make us better in that position and will definitely excite the supporters.”
Giles became Boro’s second signing of the summer following the arrival of Liam Roberts earlier in the week and was quickly followed yesterday by his former Blackburn team-mate Darragh Lenihan, who has finalised his free transfer to Boro after his contract at Ewood Park expired this summer.
Offering a broader update on transfers, Wilder added: “There’ll be all different types of signings.
“There’ll be ones who will really catch the eye, there’ll be ones like the new contract for Jonny Howson which are really important ones for the group and then there’ll be ones like Liam Roberts which are maybe a little bit more from leftfield.
“They might be a little bit more under the radar but they’re important in terms of giving us the depth we need in the squad. There’ll be two or three others we need like that because we’re not going to be able to sign an entire squad of guaranteed starters or marquee signings into the building straight away.
“There’ll be more of those type of signings but there’ll also be players coming in who are ready to go straight into the first team and who will make us better.
“We’ve been working extremely hard on those sorts of players through the back end of last season and right through the summer.
“I think what we did last season helped with that because it upped our profile with players and agents.
“Players want to come and see us as a progressive club in terms of the way we play and our results.”