THE tensions at the heart of Middlesbrough were laid bare yesterday as Aitor Karanka delivered a withering assessment of the club’s January transfer business and conceded he “does not know” whether the current squad is capable of avoiding relegation.

In an explosive press briefing ahead of this evening’s Premier League game with West Brom, Karanka railed against Boro’s failure to land targets he identified “a month-and-a-half ago”, claimed the club were only signing players who “didn’t play in the Championship” and bemoaned the fact he was always “to blame” for any failings at the Riverside.

Quite how his words are interpreted by chairman Steve Gibson and chief executive Neil Bausor remains to be seen, but the Spaniard is clearly frustrated at the pair’s failure to pull off deals for Robert Snodgrass, Bojan Krkic and Jese Rodriguez.

Despite Karanka pushing for the capture of all three, Snodgrass has joined West Ham, Bojan has moved to German side Mainz and Jese is set to complete a season-long loan to Las Palmas. As things stand, Boro are not expected to sign anyone ahead of tonight’s 11pm deadline.

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As a result, Gaston Ramirez will not be allowed to leave despite submitting a formal transfer request in an attempt to force through a move to Leicester. Jordan Rhodes could still depart, however, with Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday still involved in discussions.

Boro have signed Rudy Gestede and Patrick Bamford since the transfer window reopened at the start of the month, but Karanka has not attempted to hide his frustration at what he clearly perceives to be a lack of ambition.

“I always said the aim in the transfer window was to improve the squad, and at the moment, we haven’t done that,” said the Boro head coach, who missed last season’s Championship game at Charlton when a previous bout of frustration saw him briefly walk out of the club. “If no one else comes in, I will have to try my best. We have two days. We will be disappointed (if no one else signs).

“Teams in our position are signing players for £14m – we are signing players that didn’t play in the Championship. Patrick didn’t play for almost 18 months, so I don’t think it is an amazing improvement.

“We need to improve the team, and the club knew a month-and-a-half ago the players that I wanted. We have two days now.”

Karanka’s desperation for new signings suggests he is hardly convinced by the current squad’s capabilities, even though they head into this evening’s game with a four-point cushion to the relegation places.

Boro have not been in a bottom-three position all season, but when he was asked directly whether he was confident the current squad is capable of remaining in the Premier League, the Boro boss was hardly unequivocal in his backing.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I will just have to work hard, in the way that I have been working since I arrived here.

“I hope (they will survive). But the pressure will increase in the (next few) months, and we do not have a lot of experienced players in the squad who have played in the Premier League. Let’s see. With this group of players, the only thing I can do is trust and believe.”

Karanka met with technical director Victor Orta to discuss transfer targets at the start of December, and had been confident of signing both Snodgrass and Jese as recently as last Thursday. However, Boro’s recruitment team were unable to persuade Hull to sell to one of their relegation rivals and could not convince Jese to turn his back on his homeland in order to move to the Premier League.

As a head coach, Karanka is not directly involved in transfer negotiations, but his unhappiness at the events of the last few days is clear.

When asked why the club had failed to land their targets, he said: “I don’t know, that is not my job. I am the coach. I don’t know what has changed. The only thing is know is that Victor Orta has been doing an amazing job at this club since he arrived here.”

Karanka then went on to bemoan the fact he is always the one that seems to be blamed when things are not going well, with his downbeat demeanour sure to reignite discussions about the long-term security of his position.

“Here, and for whatever reason, I am blamed,” he said. “When you know that is the going to be the case, then it doesn’t matter. It is always going to be the same. I am the one responsible, and I am used to that.”

Boro’s lack of success in terms of incomings means they cannot afford to lose Ramirez, and Karanka is adamant the Uruguayan will not be going anywhere in the next 24 hours, even though Leicester are prepared to increase their previous offer of £10m.

“He will not be leaving, 100 per cent,” he said. “No matter what else happens (at the Leicester end), 100 per cent he will not be going.”

Ramirez returned to training earlier this week, but in a strange turn of events, Karanka claims he has been told he cannot play the player even though he thought he was fully fit.

“I hoped he could play, and he was in the squad until the moment the physio arrived at my office and said he couldn’t play,” he said. “He looked okay in training, and I had hoped he had made a full recovery. He wouldn’t have started, but he would have been in the squad.”

Calum Chambers and George Friend are also unavailable because of injury, but Antonio Barragan and Daniel Ayala are both fit to feature against the Baggies.

Middlesbrough (probable, 4-5-1): Valdes; Barragan, Bernardo, Gibson, Fabio; Stuani, de Roon, Clayton, Forshaw, Traore; Negredo.