AITOR KARANKA has admitted he still wants to add a couple more players to his Middlesbrough squad as he prepares to lead the club back into a new era in the Premier League.

The Boro head coach held his first pre-match press conference at Rockliffe Park this lunch-time since securing the Teesside outfit’s return to the top-flight after a seven-year wait.

He has already brought in nine new faces and is close to securing a deal for Cardiff City full-back Fabio da Silva. His chances of landing James Chester have taken a knock after West Brom accepted an offer from Aston Villa for his services today.

Karanka has admitted he has not finished his recruitment drive just yet.

He said: “We need one or two more players but the market closes in two or three weeks. As a manager, you’re always open.

"The club is working and has been working well for the last few months. We must focus on the pitch and when players arrive they’ll train with us. But I’m focusing on the game.”

Karanka’s press conference took place in a revamped media suite at the training ground and he was all smiles as he faced the national press, feeling the excitement of his first season as a Premier League boss.

He said: “It’s a special moment for everybody as we’ve worked for two and a half years to get to this moment.

"In my first press conference I said this club deserved to be in the Premier League and now we are there.

"The main thing and the next step is the game on Saturday. To play at home in front of our crowd, showing that we are a Premier League club, is really exciting.

"This summer has been different as we’ve had the players almost at the beginning of pre-season. I’m pleased with the work they’ve done, and we have brought in some good players who we are working with.”

Middlesbrough start the new campaign against Stoke City at the Riverside on Saturday but the head coach is not making any wild predictions about the season – he just wants survival first and foremost.

Karanka, who has only ruled out Daniel Ayala, Grant Leadbitter and Bernardo Espinosa for the opener, said: “The aim for us is to stay in the Premier League, to build the foundations and to be here long-term.

"We’ve worked really hard for the last six years to get here, we need to know who we are and focus on the game. As a manager when I came here the team was just above the relegation positions.”