Happy with Hoppe, but boss wants five more new faces
WILDER HOPEFUL OF DEALS
CHRIS Wilder has confirmed he still wants to sign five more players before the summer transfer window closes - including two more strikers.
Boro sealed their seventh capture of the summer on Wednesday when Matthew Hoppe arrived from RCD Mallorca.
The 21-year-old USA international joins the club looking to get his career back on track after a disappointing spell in Spain, having started his career to much fanfare with Schalke in Germany.
Boro were already in the market for two midfielders and a leftfooted centre-back but Hoppe was expected to be one of two centreforwards left to arrive, with Marcus
Forss joining the club earlier in the summer too.
However, revealing after the defeat to Barnsley he views Hoppe, like Forss, as a development striker, Wilder affirmed he still wants to sign two more frontmen.
He said: “Hoppe wanted the number nine shirt, which I quite liked, but he does not have it because we’re still going to get a number nine and we’ll get a number ten in too.
“We’ll get a number four, a number five and a number 11 in too because they’re the five numbers we’ve kept spare.
“I think that tells a story – and that’s the message from myself and the club.
“We’re still trying to sign more senior players because we know we need those players.
“We’re willing to pay prices which are fair and competitive but we’re not going to over-pay for players.
“We’re excited about Matt as a player we can work with.
“If he comes in and picks it up straight away, well that’s brilliant. We’ll be delighted with that.”
The transfer window is open until the end of August and Boro continue to work hard to get numbers in as quickly as possible, Wilder clear on his frustrations that the season has started before the window has shut.
As is the case every year, he is expecting a mad rush from many at the end of the window.
Boro will be part of that as well as the boss did not sound overly optimistic about the possibility of any more new arrivals before the Sheffield United game on Sunday.
When asked about the prospects of new signings in time for the clash with his former side, Wilder added: “As I’ve always said, the work which goes into this is detailed, exhausting, tough and we have to show patience.
“There is no way of getting around it.
“I had a meeting with chairman Steve Gibson yesterday and I know where his head is at.
“We’re all on the same page in terms of what we’re all after but it’s not as easy as people think it is and we’ll just keep working away.
“However, I’m incredibly confident that before the window shuts we’ll get to where we want to be.”