CRYSTAL PALACE are hoping to sign George Friend ahead of next week’s transfer deadline, but Middlesbrough head coach Aitor Karanka is confident he will not be losing any of his key players in the final four days of the transfer window.

Alan Pardew is in the middle of a major overhaul of the squad he inherited from Neil Warnock, and after signing former Newcastle United striker Shola Ameobi on a short-term deal yesterday, the Crystal Palace boss is targeting a new left-back after having to play Joel Ward and Martin Kelly in the position this season, despite the pair being more comfortable on the right flank.

Senegal international Pape Souare is one option that has been investigated by Selhurst Park officials, but Pardew is pushing for the acquisition of Friend, a player he was interested in during his time in charge of Newcastle.

The Palace boss is hoping to engineer a deal ahead of Monday night’s deadline, but despite this week’s signing of midfielder Adam Forshaw, Karanka has been told he does not have to sell anyone unless he wants to.

And with his side just a point off the Championship summit ahead of tomorrow’s trip to promotion rivals Brentford, the Boro head coach is adamant Friend will not be leaving just five months after signing a new four-year deal on Teesside.

“There has been interest in our players, but it is a good thing that all of my players want to be here, and that is all they are thinking about,” said Karanka. “It is not difficult for me to convince the players to stay here now because they want to be here rather than thinking about going to other places to earn more money.

“They believe in the project and know how big this club is. We are in a very good position right now, and the most important thing for me is that all of the players are here because they want to be here.

“The only way that we would sell a player is if someone came with a massive amount of money to share around everybody. How many million would that be? Lots and lots.

“Our only thoughts are about improving the squad, and we have done that. The thoughts coming from the players are that they are happy and thinking about how to get promotion. They are all concentrating hard on our objective. That is pleasing. In their heads, their only thought is to play in the Premier League with Middlesbrough.”

Forshaw’s arrival follows the earlier capture of Chelsea defender Tomas Kalas on loan, and means Karanka has been able to compensate for the departure of Milos Veljkovic and the injuries that have sidelined both Ryan Fredericks and Damia Abella.

The Spaniard has always maintained he wants two players for every position in his squad, and with Forshaw’s transfer from Wigan having ensured that is the case, there will not be any more additions ahead of Monday night’s deadline.

“I think the squad is complete now,” said Karanka. “I can feel that now. I think we are in a better position now than when the last transfer window closed in September.
“We have lost Milos, but in his position Adam has come in. We have also signed Tomas Kalas, and that is very good for us. I hope (Mustapha) Carayol will be with us soon, and maybe in another month or so we will have Damia back with us too. I am very pleased with the squad.”

Forshaw spent two successful seasons with Brentford, but the 23-year-old will have to be content with a place on the bench when he returns to Griffin Park.

Having combined so effectively in the first half of the season, Grant Leadbitter and Adam Clayton will start alongside each other tomorrow, but with 19 Championship matches still to play, Karanka is confident Forshaw will get plenty of chances to impress before the end of the campaign.

“Adam can help a lot,” he said. “He is a similar player to Adam and Grant. Dean (Whitehead) is slightly different, but in our style, to have three players with the same characteristics is a major positive.

“All of them can play as a number six, a number eight or a number ten. Adam is another good option for me. He is not a player who is just coming in to be in the squad or on the bench – he is coming to compete for his position.

“We have watched him for a long time. It has been a surprise to me that he hasn’t played as much at Wigan as I thought he would because he is usually a first XI player. He has been someone I have thought of as a potential player for quite a while now.”

With Daniel Ayala starting a two-game suspension, Ben Gibson will partner Kenneth Omeruo at centre-half against Brentford. Carayol is unlikely to be involved in the squad despite making a 60-minute appearance for Boro’s development side at the start of the week.