Middlesbrough has had an incredible start to the season in the Championship.

Middlesbrough have begun brightly as they attempt to recover from their Wembley defeat, and head coach Kim Hellberg has earned much of praise for his performance at the Riverside Stadium this season.

Middlesbrough faced Kim Hellberg, Crystal Palace threat after Pierre Sage’s departure.

Middlesbrough spent heavily in the transfer window this summer in order to finally secure a long-awaited return to the Premier League, and striker Will Lankshear was the club’s marquee signing, joining from Tottenham Hotspur for an initial fee of around £10 million, plus an additional £10 million in add-ons.

Lankshear was not Boro’s only high-profile signing this summer, with Radek Vitek, Ashley Phillips, Max Arfsten, Sebastian Berhalter, Rokas Pukstas, and Kyle Joseph also arriving for large transfer fees, and the club’s ambitious squad rebuild has certainly had the desired effect thus far.

Borough had a dismal week leading up to the international break, picking up only one point from two away games against Wrexham and Watford, but despite being pushed out of first place on goal difference by Birmingham City, they are currently second in the Championship.

However, it appears that Boro’s good record has had some unintended implications for the Teesside club, with reports circulating over the weekend saying that Hellberg was on the radar of top division side Crystal Palace as they prepared to split ways with Pierre Sage.

Middlesbrough will be encouraged with Thomas Frank’s developments at Crystal Palace amid Kim Hellberg links.

Hellberg was not the only name associated with Crystal Palace; Thomas Frank, Frank Lampard, Sean Dyche, Vitor Pereira, Vitor Matos, Tony Popovic, Jens Berthel Askou, and Ole Werner are also thought to have been considered.

After a poor start to the season that has left them bottom of the Premier League table, the Eagles announced Sage’s departure on Thursday after only 16 games in charge, but while Middlesbrough may have feared that the Frenchman’s departure would lead to an approach for Hellberg, it appears that will not be the case.

Frank was thought to be the front-runner to replace Sage, and Palace are now allegedly in advanced talks with the former Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur manager about taking over at Selhurst Park, albeit a deal has yet to be confirmed.

Given that Frank is out of job and has Premier League experience, it is simple to understand why the Eagles chose the Dane in their current situation, but the fact that Hellberg’s name was raised indicates that his reputation in English football is developing.

Steve Gibson will be relieved to avoid a Rob Edwards-Kim Hellberg repeat at Middlesbrough.

After losing Rob Edwards to Wolverhampton Wanderers just before the November international break last season, Middlesbrough owner Steve Gibson could have been forgiven for being concerned when reports linked Hellberg with Crystal Palace.

Borough were second in the Championship standings last November when Edwards made the controversial decision to move from the Riverside Stadium to Molineux after only 16 games in command, but history does not appear to repeat itself.

While Edwards was widely criticised for his response when asked about the Wolves job prior to his eventual departure, infamously claiming that his daughter had informed him of the rumours when they first surfaced, Hellberg immediately dismissed any talk of him moving to Selhurst Park and insisted that he remained fully committed to Borough.

In a recent interview with Swedish newspaper Fotbollskanalen, Hellberg stated that he had no reaction to the Palace claims.It’s always wonderful to be on lists like that, especially if it means you’ve done something right. “But I think it’s mostly just talk, and I’m all about doing a good job here.”We have a chance to be promoted this year. “We believe there is a chance, but it will be difficult.”We are among the top five or six teams, not necessarily the favourites, but I believe we have a strong opportunity.My attention is here, and hopefully we can climb up; it would have been amazing of course.

While Hellberg’s commitment to Borough has yet to be challenged by a formal approach from the Eagles, it is evident that the 38-year-old has not been swayed by rumours regarding his future, and his sentiments will be music to Gibson’s ears following his unhappy experience with Edwards.

Hellberg has become a hugely popular figure on Teesside in the last year, and he is regarded as one of the most exciting managers outside the Premier League, having built a team that plays an attractive, attacking brand of football, despite Boro’s defensive vulnerability at times this season.

Further interest in Hellberg is unavoidable in the coming months if Borough continue on their current path, but Gibson will be relieved to have retained his highly regarded coach for the time being.