MIDDLESBROUGH can boast having one of the most successful Academy system's in the country. Forward-thinking manager Gareth Southgate, however, is keen to take the club's recruitment of youngsters to a new level.

The recent appointments of Gordon McQueen and David Mills to Dave Leadbeater's talentspotting team are designed to unearth new standards of quality that will further strengthen Boro.

And while scouts Ron Bone and Martin Carter continue to scour the country for schoolboys capable of becoming an integral part of Dave Parnaby's Academy set-up at the Riverside, Southgate also wants to widen the club's scouting network.

He has reportedly looked at the possibility of signing former Arsenal midfielder Edu from Valencia this week, although he suggests that he is more interested in acquiring players with potential and most of their careers ahead of them.

Southgate is a firm believer in Arsene Wenger's philosophy at Arsenal, where the Frenchman's contacts have led to the Gunners signing rising stars when they are just raw teenagers.

While the likes of Steve Sidwell, Tom Huddlestone, Steven Davis, James Milner and Michael Bradley - the Heerenveen midfielder - are all options for Southgate.

He is also looking to eventually recruit lesser known targets.

"Wenger can pick the phone up to whoever he has got in Austria, France, Scandinavia or Germany and he has done that over a period of time," said Southgate. "We had nothing in place when I took over like that.

"Don Mackay was chief scout.

I asked for a list of targets when I became manager and we had a list but there was no database or anything else to back it up. There was a lot of work that needed to be done.

"We have got to look at bringing in young players. We always promote from within but we have never invested in young players and given them a chance of coming through."

Southgate highlights the fact that Tom Craddock - the Darlington- born forward who started the game at Manchester City last season - is the only striker at his disposal who has graduated from the academy.

And he is convinced that Mc- Queen and Mills can help Leadbeatter to help deliver better youngsters from the lower leagues of English football and beyond.

"We need more resources in terms of manpower and watching games. When I brought Dave Leadbeater in, he was the only full time person in the recruitment department to cover the whole of the world," said Southgate.

"We needed a bigger database on players and more bodies to see players. We needed more knowledge and manpower to get out there.

Edu, meanwhile, is now 29 and looking to move back to the Premier League this summer.

The Brazilian international left Arsenal three years ago but Valencia want to offload him in a bid to lower their high wage bill.

It is claimed Boro have been offered him along with Everton, Manchester City, Portsmouth, Tottenham and Liverpool.