[themaclad]

hampionship side Middlesbrough have signed midfielders Lewis O'Brien and Sam Greenwood on loan from Nottingham Forest and Leeds for the season.

O'Brien, 24, has been a peripheral figure at Forest, playing just 17 games, and was left out of their Premier League squad after January.

Greenwood, 21, has scored once in 35 appearances for Leeds, following a move from Arsenal in August 2020.

He can feature in midfield and attack, and has featured twice this season.

"Lewis has tasted success before," Boro boss Michael Carrick said of former Huddersfield player O'Brien, who featured in 131 games for the Terriers.

"He's got good experience, he's a good age, and he offers something different to what we have here.

Carrick added: "Sam is a really talented player. He's two-footed and he gives us greater flexibility."

After he was left out of Forest's 25-man group, O'Brien spent the end of last season on loan to DC United in the US Major League Soccer division.

He was a major part of Carlos Corberan's Huddersfield squad that made it to the 2021-22 Championship play-off final, coincidentally losing to Forest at Wembley.

Greenwood returns to his native north east with this move, having left Sunderland for Arsenal earlier in his career.

He made his Leeds breakthrough under Marcelo Bielsa and continued to play a part last season, under Jesse Marsch and Sam Allardyce.

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Middlesbrough have signed Sierra Leone international Alex Bangura from Dutch side SC Cambuur on a four-year deal.

The 24-year-old, who can play anywhere down the left side, has scored five goals in 113 games for the second-tier side, and has Eredivisie experience.

Bangura began his career with Rotterdam giants Feyenoord but failed to make a first-team appearance at the De Kuyp.

Meanwhile, midfielder Martin Payero has left Boro for Italian side Udinese on a permanent, four-year deal.

The 24-year-old played 16 games and scored once for the Teessiders following his move from Banfield in 2021.

He spent last season on loan to Boca Juniors in his native Argentina.

Neither Cambuur or Boro have revealed the details of the transfer fee involved for Bangura.

"He's a really exciting signing. He's a left-back and he's captained his team," boss Michael Carrick said.

"He's a good character with a great personality and he won't have any problem fitting into the group."

The deal was described by the Dutch club as a "win-win" in their reporting of the transfer.

"Alex has made fantastic progress in recent years and was ready for this next step," Cambuur technical director Etienne Reijnen said.

"As SC Cambuur, we are a club where - as a young talent - are given opportunities and tools to develop further and this transfer shows what is possible."

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Middlesbrough have signed Finn Azaz from Aston Villa three days after his recall from a loan at Plymouth Argyle.

The attacking midfielder, 23, scored seven goals in 26 league appearances for Argyle this campaign, having also spent last season on loan at Home Park.

Azaz has signed a four-and-a-half year deal at Boro for an undisclosed fee.

"He's an exciting player who already comes with good experience," Boro head coach Michael Carrick told the club website.

"He's had a good season so far, and we're really looking forward to working with him."

Azaz came through the West Brom academy and joined Villa in 2021.

He did not make a first-team appearance for either the Baggies or Villa, but has played more than 150 games in loan spells at Cheltenham, Newport and with the Pilgrims, where he was a key member of the side that won promotion from League One.

He signed a contract extension with Villa last summer and was loaned out to Plymouth again, but recalled this week ahead of his permanent move to Teesside.

Azaz is not eligible for Boro's FA Cup third-round game against Aston Villa on Saturday.

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Middlesbrough have signed Leeds United defender Luke Ayling on loan until the end of the season.

The full-back, 32, played 268 games for Leeds after joining in 2016, but Sunday's FA Cup outing at Peterborough was his first match since November.

Ayling, who began his career at Arsenal and also played for Yeovil and Bristol City, is out of contract this summer.

Leeds called him "one of the best ever signings in the club's history" and "a tremendous servant".

"We're delighted to bring Luke to the club," Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick told his club's website.

"He is a player with good experience, he's a promotion winner, and he's played at the highest level.

"He's a terrific character as well and we see him as a great fit for what we have here. He's exactly what we're looking for at the club."

London-born Ayling lost his place in Daniel Farke's Leeds side to teenager Archie Gray, while Djed Spence also had spells in the team before his loan from Tottenham was ended earlier this month.

Leeds have indicated the loan move marks the end of Ayling's career with them.

Boro, currently four points off the Championship play-off places, are without right-back Anfernee Dijksteel because of injury, while fellow full-back Tommy Smith is likely to remain absent for the rest of the campaign with a long-term ankle problem.

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Middlesbrough have signed defender Luke Thomas from Championship rivals Leicester City on loan until the end of the season.

The 22-year-old had been on loan to Premier League club Sheffield United in the first part of the season, playing 13 games before his recall this month.

Thomas won the FA Cup with hometown side Leicester, and has two goals in 85 games for the Foxes.

"He's a good addition to the squad," said Boro boss Michael Carrick.

"He has plenty of experience, and he will bring a balance to what we have. We're looking forward to working with him."

Boro are short of cover down the left, with Alex Bangura out injured.

Syston-born Thomas can play centre-back, and further forward down the left in midfield.

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Middlesbrough full-back Isaiah Jones has signed a new three-year contract.

The 24-year-old joined Boro from non-league side Tooting & Mitcham in 2019.

He made his league debut for the Teessiders in August 2021 after loan spells with St Johnstone and Queen of the South and has made 108 Championship appearances, scoring 10 goals.

Michael Carrick's side are eighth in the second tier, eight points off the play-offs with three games of the season to play.

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Paddy McNair is to leave Middlesbrough after six years at the club, with his contract up this summer.

The Northern Ireland defender has not been offered a new deal and will become a free agent.

McNair, 29, played 219 games for the Teesside club after joining from Sunderland in 2018 and scored 14 goals.

His last appearance for Boro came in a goalless draw with Blackburn Rovers in March.

"After six years and 219 appearances, my time at Middlesbrough has come to an end," he posted on Instagram, external.

McNair, who has won 69 caps for Northern Ireland, came through the ranks at Manchester United and was given his first-team debut in 2014 by Louis van Gaal.

Two years later, he departed for the Stadium of Light before swapping Wearside for Teesside with his switch to Boro.

He was the club's Player of the Year in 2020-21, but departs after an injury-hit campaign.

"Big thank you to all of the players, staff and the fans for the support throughout the years," he said. "Looking forward to the next chapter."

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Middlesbrough have signed striker Delano Burgzorg from Bundesliga club Mainz for an undisclosed fee.

Burgzorg, 25, has agreed a four-year contract to move to Teesside.

The former Dutch youth international spent last season on loan with Huddersfield Town where he scored seven goals in 33 games.

He is the second permanent signing of the close season for Boro after Luke Ayling completed a move from Leeds United.

Middlesbrough finished eighth in the Championship last season, four points adrift of the play-offs.

Now head coach Michael Carrick, who recently agreed a new three-year contract, is attempting to build a squad capable of challenging for promotion.

Burgzorg, who also played in the Netherlands and Italy before moving to Germany with Mainz, will be another attacking option alongside the likes of Emmanuel Latte Lath, Samuel Silvera and Josh Coburn.

“We’re really happy to bring Delano in," Carrick told the club website.

"He experienced the league last season, and we’re excited about what he’s capable of doing.

"He’s a threat and will be real asset because he has different types of attributes to what we already have."

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Middlesbrough have signed Micah Hamilton on a four-year deal from Premier League Champions Manchester City.

The 20-year-old attacking midfielder joins up with Michael Carrick's squad for start of the Championship season.

Hamilton was in the academy at City and played three times for the senior team, scoring in a Champions League game against Red Star Belgrade in December.

"Micah is an exciting young player who we're looking forward to working with," Carrick told the club's website, external.

Hamilton was a regular in City's Under-21 team before Pep Guardiola selected him for the Champions League group game in Belgrade last December.

He scored the opener after 19 minutes in a 3-2 win before going on to make two more substitute appearances in the FA Cup and another in Europe.

Hamilton also came on as a sub in three of City's friendlies in their recent US tour but he has now arrived at the Riverside.

He is the fourth summer signing by Carrick following Luke Ayling, Aidan Morris and Delano Burgzorg.

Middlesbrough kick off their Championship campaign at home to Swansea City on Saturday (12:30 BST).

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Middlesbrough signed Scotland striker Tommy Conway from fellow Championship side Bristol City for an undisclosed fee.

Boro boss Michael Carrick has moved to boost his forward options after Conway made clear his intention to leave Ashton Gate.

The Riverside outfit have now secured a key target on a four-year contract as they look to add firepower to an underperforming front line.

The 21-year-old, who had a year left on his contract, had refused to sign the new deal offered to him by the Robins.

Since returning from summer international duty at the European Championships, Conway had been training with the under-21s, away from the first team, while his future was decided.

"He's a good age, he has great potential and we're really excited to work with him," Carrick said,, external who has made Conway his fifth senior signing of the transfer window.

"He's already got plenty of Championship experience and he's a great addition to the squad."


The Taunton-born forward had been with the Robins since joining their academy aged seven and has scored 25 goals in 92 appearances since making his senior breakthrough in 2021.

Boss Liam Manning had made it clear he was keen to keep the striker with "numerous" discussions about a new deal since he took over last November.

Despite the club making what Manning described as a "terrific offer", keeping the unsettled striker proved beyond his control.

Boro struggled in front of goal last season at home, scoring 30 in 23 games, as they finished outside the play-off spots in eighth place.