CHRIS WILDER has identified “a couple of positions” he would still like to improve before the transfer window closes on Monday night, with work under way to line up potential targets for some deadline-day business.

Middlesbrough have signed four players so far this window, with Riley McGree and Caolan Boyd-Munce arriving on permanent deals and Aaron Connolly and Folarin Balogun joining on loan.

Dejan Stojanovic and Onel Hernandez, with Uche Ikpeazu, Marcus Browne and James Lea-Siliki expected to join them through the exit door ahead of Monday night, but Wilder’s overhaul of the squad he inherited from Neil Warnock is not complete.

“There’s a couple of positions I think we’re really light on, that if we do manage to do some business, it will make us better in the second part of the season,” said Wilder, ahead of tomorrow’s home game with Coventry City. “Kieran (Scott) and Neil (Bausor) know that, and are supporting it.

“But we have to bring the right ones in, we can’t just bring in players for the sake of bringing in players. Everybody says it’s a difficult window, and I do get that, especially with the situation with Covid and people not really wanting to let anybody go out.

“But it’s also an important window as well because it does give you an opportunity of improving the group. It’s my first window at the football club, and there’s certain ideas I want to implement in terms of the way we play.”

Boro’s recruitment team have laid the groundwork for some late business, but transfer deadline-day can often take on a life of its own and Wilder is fully expecting a few twists and turns ahead of Monday’s 11pm deadline.

“We’ll see what happens, but Monday will be quickly upon us and I don’t want to be sitting with a box of pizza on Monday evening, watching that clock move as quickly as it does,” he said.

“We’re working away, but other clubs have their situations too and it’s a sort of snowball effect where something happens at one club and then something happens at another club that allows you to do stuff. We’ll keep working away.”