Gareth Southgate is to step up his pursuit of a new defender following the loss to Reading.
Gareth Southgate is to step up his pursuit of a new defender following Middlesbrough's 3-2 defeat to Reading.The Teessiders started brightly against the Premiership new boys and surged into two-goal lead, only for Reading to hit back for all three points.
Southgate has insisted that he will not panic, but is set to go back to the drawing board to discover exactly how Boro surrendered their advantage.
"There's no point getting angry at the moment. The players know their mistakes and we will talk about it Monday," he said.
"I am still learning and all I will ask of the players is why did they stop doing the good things that gave us a lead.
"Patience is the key word here and that will always be my style."
Southgate is hoping to reinforce his back line with Sylvain Distin, and confirmed that Boro had agreed a fee with Manchester City for the French defender.
Chelsea centre back Robert Huth has been linked with a move to The Riverside for most of the summer and Southgate has renewed his interest in the German.
"We've agreed a fee with Manchester City for Sylvain, who's thinking things over, and we're in talks with Chelsea about Robert," he stated.
Southgate also dismissed reports suggesting that Tottenham were keen on signing winger Stewart Downing.
"I haven't heard anything from Tottenham about Stewart and I'm not expecting to. It's not an issue," he stressed.
