Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg is presently focused on coaching the club’s current players rather than making transfer requests to enhance the team.

Boro slipped out of the top two on New Year’s Day after suffering their third defeat in four games and failing to score for the fourth time in a row.

Middlesbrough has struggled to score goals this season. Hellberg’s side has scored 33 goals in 25 Championship games, nine fewer than Ipswich Town and a staggering 22 fewer than Coventry City, the two teams currently ahead of them in the second-tier league.

When you consider that 11 of those goals occurred in a four-game span during the start of Kim Hellberg’s reign, it highlights the Riverside’s need for goalscorers in the current January transfer window.

The Boro manager is aware of this, but in the aftermath of their recent 1-0 setback at Derby County, Hellberg has refrained from demanding additions.

Kim Hellberg’s focus is on who is already at Middlesbrough, rather than new additions.

Boro have struck a wall in terms of results and goal scoring after a fantastic start to Kim Hellberg’s reign at the Riverside, picking up just one point and scoring none in their last four games.

Speaking after a second consecutive 1-0 defeat, this time at Derby, Hellberg declined to rely on the recruitment team to assist him, instead noting that it is his responsibility to coach those existing at the club.

“That is not my job, and I do not want to be the person that pushes for things. We have [Adilson] Malanda arriving. “We also have a lot of players away,” he told Teesside Live.

“All teams have that, so that’s not an excuse, but we should definitely look into it. […] I do not want to sit here and make transfer requests. The most crucial aspect of my job is to collaborate with people who are present, and I want to do so.

“We’re in the same position we were eight games ago. We understand that we must score goals, but scoring alone is insufficient.

When asked if he expects the team would bring in quality additions during the window, Hellberg responded as any other manager would.

“Every coach in the world wants as many good players as possible. I believe I and everyone else are in the same situation.

“Everyone wants the best players they can find. “I’m no different.”

Middlesbrough prepares for a key transfer window.

Kim Hellberg has not put any transfer pressure on the Riverside’s upper management, but he may not need to. The club’s recruitment team understands what is required, and the rest of the board recognises the need to develop in order to capitalise on their current position.

According to Teesside Live, the focus was on improving at the top end of the pitch prior to Hellberg’s arrival, and while that was eased slightly to see how the squad would form up under the Swedish manager, discussions have recently taken place to enhance the squad.

Middlesbrough has had a rollercoaster campaign thus far. After the Michael Carrick experiment ended, few expected them to compete for automatic promotion or even the play-offs in their first season.

Boro’s hopes of a first Premier League campaign since the 2016/17 season are now closer than they have been in the previous eight Championship seasons, and the club is looking to boost those chances with a strong January transfer window.