DELIGHTED boss Steve McClaren has decided British is best in his bid to turn Middlesbrough into a top flight force.

McClaren added three homegrown talents to his squad on transfer deadline day and he is convinced players of that ilk will help Boro challenge for their first major piece of silverware in the club's history.

The arrivals of Englishmen Michael Ricketts, Malcolm Christie and Chris Riggott - for a total fee that will rise to £7.5m in April - has left a few Premiership clubs stunned.

Strikers Ricketts and Christie have been tracked by a number of clubs in the past - with Tottenham and Liverpool, among others, known to have inquired.

And defender Riggott was wanted by Reds' boss Gerard Houllier last summer, proving that McClaren has been able to draft in hot prospects who have regularly represented England at Under-21 level.

The Boro boss, who will have spent approaching £40m in April since arriving in the summer of 2001, believes the club is putting its money where its mouth is.

"I always said I came here because they are ambitious and this shows that again," said McClaren, who has also slashed the club's wage bill since taking over at the Riverside.

"I want to build a squad here that can be a success here for a great number of years.

"These are English players and I want to build a squad here around a core of English talent.

"We always had our eyes on Chris and Malcolm and when Michael became available the chairman made it happen."

And McClaren, whose side have dropped from third to 14th since October, believes the increase in squad size will ensure his side have a good end to the campaign.

Boro travel to Liverpool on Saturday looking for their first win, and first goal, away from home since the 3-0 victory at Tottenham on Setember 28.

And McClaren said: "It's a case that if you don't have a strong squad you can get exposed.

"I always believe that you need competition for places and competition for places is now what we have got.

"Complacency is the biggest evil in a football club but we have certainly got competition for places now.

"I believe if you stand still you go backwards. By bringing these players in we are not standing still.

"In the centre-back positions we now have Ugo and Gareth Southgate plus young Andrew Davies, Chris and Colin Cooper - that's excellent for us.

"Up front we have got Szilard Nemeth, Massimo Maccarone, Noel Whelan and Joseph Job plus Ricketts and Malcolm. That's what I have always wanted.

"I don't like the word potential but I think these players have all got good potential. We want to improve as a team and we want to improve every player. If they improve then we will improve."

The Boro boss also added Brazilian schemer Doriva to his playing staff on Friday and he trained for the first time with the rest of the squad yesterday.

And McClaren is hoping the player will do his best to impress, he said: "Juninho played with him in the World Cup and we have done a deal with Celta Vigo which allows us to look at him for the rest of the season."

Meanwhile, reports that Tottenham will sign wantaway striker Alen Boksic when he agrees a settlement with Boro are wide of the mark.

Boksic was wanted by Spurs just before the closure of the transfer window but the deal was blocked as the player was in Croatia recovering from injury.

If Tottenham were eyeing a cheeky move they would have needed to sign the 33-year-old before January 31, as Premiership rules prevent a player leaving one club and joining another outside the transfer window.

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