NO ONE in, and no one out. It might have been a deadline day devoid of action at Rockliffe Park, but Jonathan Woodgate insists he is more than satisfied with his first transfer window as Middlesbrough head coach.

Having admitted he was hoping to bring in one more attacking player when he spoke on Wednesday night, Woodgate was forced to admit defeat when it became clear his primary targets were not come to fruition.

Middlesbrough investigated the possibility of taking Jordon Ibe on loan from Bournemouth, but the winger opted to remain at the Vitality Stadium. The Teessiders were also linked with Burnley striker Nahki Wells and Southampton’s Mohamed Elyounoussi, but their interest in either player did not get beyond an extremely formative stage.

It had looked like they might lose a player for the majority of the afternoon, but while Wigan Athletic discussed a possible deal for defender Ryan Shotton, they opted to shelve their interest and ended up signing Leeds United’s Tom Pearce instead.

The upshot is that Woodgate will head into the first half of the season with the squad that secured a 3-3 draw at Luton Town last week, having recruited Tomas Mejias, Marc Bola, Marcus Browne and Anfernee Dijksteel since replacing Tony Pulis.

The cost-cutting that began in the Pulis era has continued this summer, with high earners Martin Braithwaite and Aden Flint following the likes of John Obi Mikel, Stewart Downing, Mo Besic and Jordan Hugill through the exit door.

Nevertheless, Boro have held on to Darren Randolph, Dael Fry and Britt Assombalonga despite outside interest, and while Woodgate accepts he is in a different position to a number of predecessors, who benefited from lavish financial resources, he insists he is more than happy with the group of players at his disposal.

“I’m delighted with the squad,” said the head coach. “We (were) trying to get one more in, but it was only ever going to happen if it was the right one. If it’s not the right one, we don’t do it.

“I’m really happy with my squad. You’ve got to look at your players, and look what areas need manoeuvring and what you need to do to strengthen different areas. I think we’ve done that.

“We needed competition in the full-back areas, we needed an extra wide man, and with the emergence of Hayden Coulson, who can also play wide, and with Marvin Johnson, and how well he’s done, I think we’ve got that and it’s good for us.”

Woodgate is determined to live up to his pledge to give youth a chance, and having impressed on his first league start at Kenilworth Road, Coulson will be retained in the squad that faces Brentford tomorrow.

Dijksteel is available to make his debut against the Bees, having trained with his team-mates for the first time on Wednesday morning, but despite having made the 22-year-old his number one right-back target from the start of the summer, the Boro boss insists it should not be assumed that he will automatically get the nod over Jonny Howson, who impressed on the right of the back four at Luton.

“Firstly, Anfernee has to battle for his place because I thought Jonny Howson was excellent the other night,” he said. “He’s a very, very reliable player for me. I think the world of Jonny, he can play a number of different positions for me. So, Anfernee has to battle for his place.”

Young defender Sam Stubbs has joined Scottish side Hamilton on a season-long loan, and Woodgate envisages more of his youngsters leaving in the next few weeks, with clubs in Leagues One and Two still able to make signings until the end of the month.

“We can take our time with them,” he said.