GARRY MONK is relieved to be at the end of the transfer window, and the Middlesbrough manager feels his players will benefit from no longer having any speculation hanging over them.

A hectic summer of transfer activity finally ended on Thursday, with Boro having brought in ten players as part of their squad restructuring.

Twelve players left, but Ben Gibson and Adama Traore remained on Teesside despite extensive interest in their services throughout the summer.

Both players now know they will be playing for Boro until at least January, and while Monk was happy with their commitment in the opening month of the season, he admits things will be easier now their future is no longer in doubt.

“As a manager, it’s nice to finally have that window closed, and now the focus is on football and all speculation can stop until the next one,” said Monk. “All the focus is on the football, and the games we have coming up.

“We can concentrate on the football without any speculation, or any doubt, or any cloud over anyone. That frees the mind and we can get on with the business in hand.”

Having inherited a squad still reeling from last season’s relegation, Monk clearly felt it was important to make major changes.

He broke Boro’s transfer record to sign Britt Assombalonga, but also signed the likes of Connor Roberts and Lewis Baker, much more inexperienced players with plenty to prove.

“We’ve had a good summer and done some good business as a club,” he said, in an interview with Middlesbrough's official website. “There’s been a lot of outgoings, and incomings as well. I think the club deserve a lot of credit for the business we’ve done, and the people involved in that process.

“We’ve done exceptionally well. We’ve maximised both sides of it, the incomings and of course people like to talk about that number, but we’ve had outgoings too. When you add up the money brought in for a sale or the wages that are removed, that helps balance the books.

“It’s been a lot of very hard work, and probably more than people realise. Coming into the club and sitting with the owner, we wanted to change the face of the club and the idea of the club itself, move it in a more dynamic way. It’s taken a lot of hard work. There’s a lot of difficult work behind the scenes from everyone to get those things right.”

Meanwhile, Middlesbrough youngster Marcus Tavernier has been shortlisted for the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award for August.

The midfielder impressed as Boro’s Under-23s claimed three league wins from three, scoring a hat-trick against Norwich City. He also made his senior Boro debut in the Carabao Cup second-round win over Scunthorpe United.