HAVING signed Wigan striker Marlon King on loan for the rest of the season, Gareth Southgate is confident that Ben Watson will complete a permanent transfer to Middlesbrough within the next 24 hours.

But Southgate is also likely to lose a player before the weekend, with Mido having travelled across the Pennines yesterday afternoon to discuss a separate loan move to Wigan’s JJB Stadium.

King, who spent the first half of the season on loan at Hull, will formally complete his temporary switch on Monday, and will go straight into the Boro squad for next Wednesday’s Premier League away game at Chelsea.

The 28-year-old tied up his transfer at Boro’s Rockliffe Park training ground yesterday, and was joined in the North-East by Watson, who was the subject of a successful £2m bid on Wednesday morning.

The Crystal Palace midfielder underwent a medical and discussed personal terms, with Southgate keen to complete a permanent transfer as quickly as possible given competing interest from Fulham.

Cottagers boss Roy Hodgson has also been given permission to speak to Watson, but having persuaded the England Under-21 international to leave his south London base to travel to the North-East yesterday, Southgate is confident he will have secured a second new player by the time Boro travel to Wolves for tomorrow’s FA Cup fourth-round tie.

“Ben’s been here and had a medical with us,” confirmed the Middlesbrough manager.

“He’s had a look around and we’ve agreed a fee with Crystal Palace.

“I don’t know if other clubs have agreed a fee, but we’ve been tracking Ben for a quite while and we’re hoping to make him a Middlesbrough player.

“We’ve been very open with (Palace boss) Neil Warnock and had good dialogue over the last few months. We knew he was a player Crystal Palace would probably move on in January, and we feel we’re at the head of the queue.

“He’s one of the best players in the Championship. He scores goals, he’s a good passer and his set-piece delivery is excellent. He has a hunger to play at this level.

“He’s played more league games than the majority of our squad. He’s hardened to playing week in week out, and he’s a good player.

“Sometimes, the Championship is overlooked as a breeding ground for players, but look at Everton who’ve signed Tim Cahill, Joleon Lescott and Phil Jagielka.”

King also burst to prominence in the Championship, scoring 21 goals as Watford won promotion in the 2005-06 season.

He has scored five goals in 19 starts for Hull in the current campaign, and while his initial deal only lasts until the end of the season, Boro are understood to have discussed a possible £3m permanent switch if things go to plan.

“He’ll be with us until the end of the season to begin with, and we’re pleased to have him on board,” said Southgate. “I think he’s a player who has a hunger to come and play. He’s scored goals in this division, had a good spell at Hull, and we’re pleased the situation at Hull (where King fell out with Tigers boss Phil Brown) will work in our favour.

“The option to buy is not part of the contract, but if he does well, we’d want to keep him. That’s something we and Marlon will work towards.

“I saw a lot of him when he was at Watford, and he would probably have kept them in the Premier League if he hadn’t broken his leg.”

While King was completing the technicalities of his move yesterday, Mido was travelling in the opposite direction to discuss his future with Wigan boss Steve Bruce.

The Egypt international confirmed his desire to join the Latics in an interview with an Arabic media outlet yesterday morning, but an anticipated loan deal will not be connected to King’s switch to the Riverside.

“Wigan have an interest in Mido and have asked if they can talk to him, but that’s completely separate to Marlon’s situation,” said Southgate, who continues to insist that Gary O’Neil will be going nowhere this month. “He’s not agitating to leave, but Wigan have asked to speak to him.

“They’ve got one or two deals going on, and they’re looking for replacements for players going out, but at the moment he’s still our player.

We’ve given Wigan permission to speak to him, but that’s as far as it’s gone.”

Yesterday’s transfer activity looked unlikely when Southgate claimed the “cupboard was bare” at the start of the month, but a series of discussions with Steve Gibson and Keith Lamb have resulted in a £2m outlay.

The expenditure underlines the extent of the club’s troubles in the Premier League relegation zone, but also confirms that Southgate’s position is not in jeopardy.

“The relationship with the chairman is as strong as ever,”

said the Boro boss. “And the belief within the club is very much a united, forward-thinking belief. We’ve not even spoken about anything other than how we can improve the team.”