MIDDLESBROUGH lived up to their promise of holding firm over Ben Gibson and Adama Traore on transfer-deadline day, meaning the £50m-rated duo will remain on Teesside until at least January to contribute to the club’s promotion push.

Boro’s only piece of deadline-day business saw Marvin Johnson sign a three-year deal to complete a £2.5m move from Oxford United, with a further £500,000 potentially being due in add-ons.

Johnson became the Teessiders’ tenth summer signing when he put pen to paper yesterday afternoon, but the day’s biggest stories related to the players who remained on the club’s books despite speculation they would leave.

The retention of Gibson is an especially notable coup, with Boro having turned down two offers for the centre-half from West Brom earlier in the window, the second of which is believed to have been worth more than £20m.

With Jonny Evans remaining at the Hawthorns yesterday, the Baggies did not return with a third bid, but Boro are adamant they would have rejected whatever was placed across the table anyway.

Chairman Steve Gibson pledged to “smash the Championship” in the aftermath of last season’s relegation, and holding on to his nephew was always a key part of his plans.

Garry Monk was similarly emphatic when he conducted his first press conference as Boro boss, insisting he did not want to lose “any of his best players”.

The pair deserve considerable credit for living up to their words, and having broken into the senior England squad at the end of last season, Gibson’s talent and experience should be hugely-valuable assets as Boro look to force their way up the Championship table in the next few weeks.

Boro’s recruitment team did hold discussions over Traore last month, with French duo Lyon and Lille both expressing an interest in the winger.

However, neither club was willing to go anywhere close to Boro’s valuation, and it was decided at an early stage that Traore would not be leaving Teesside.

The 21-year-old has been a peripheral presence this season, with his only start coming in the Carabao Cup win over Scunthorpe United, but now that his future has been resolved, he will be challenged to force his way into Monk’s starting line-up.

Johnson will also hope to convince the Boro boss he is worth an extended run in the first team as he steps up to the Championship from League One.

Having started his career in non-league football with Solihull Moors, Coleshill Town, Romulus and Kidderminster Harriers, his big break came when he moved to the Scottish Premier League with Motherwell in 2015.

He impressed in Scotland, and after being linked with a number of Championship clubs, joined Oxford on deadline-day last summer for £650,000.

A left-sided winger, who can also play at left-back, he scored seven goals in 55 appearances for the Us, appearing at Wembley in last season’s Checkatrade Trophy final.

“It’s a massive opportunity for me to step up another league,” said Johnson. “To come to such a big club, if I do get to step up on the stage, then it’s an opportunity for me to shine and show people what I can do.

“As you step up, it gets more tactical in terms of organisation and being more patient. I’ve played against quite a few Championship teams, and you witness that in those games. It’s another challenge for me, and it’s one I’m willing to take.

“Every game you go out there, you have to play like it’s a cup final. Your career is not too long, and you don’t want to look back and regret anything that you did. I’ve got my head down and worked 100 per cent, and it’s got me to this stage right now, which I’m grateful for.

“Over the past three years, I’ve come back down to England from Scotland, and now I’ve managed to get to the Championship, where I’ve been wanting to be since I had the speculation last year when I was at Motherwell. That was my aim at the time.”

Oxford turned down a bid from Hull City earlier this summer, with Johnson’s performances at the Kassam Stadium last season having attracted a large amount of attention.

“I’ve often been described as electric and entertaining,” he said, when asked to describe his playing style. “I’m very positive and attack minded. Hopefully, going forward, I can create a few goals, and score a few as well.”

He has joined a club with its sights set on the Premier League, and he too harbours ambitions of spending next season in the top-flight.

“The ambition is to get to the Premier League,” he said. “That’s the club’s ambition, and if any player comes here, that has to be their ambition as well. We just have to work hard and see where that takes us.”

Meanwhile, the Tees-Wear derby between Middlesbrough and Sunderland has been rescheduled for Sunday, November 5 (12.15pm). Boro’s trip to Elland Road to face Leeds United will take place on Sunday, November 19 (1.15pm), and the club’s home game with Birmingham City has been rescheduled for Wednesday, November 22 (7.45pm).