Middlesbrough failed in their promotion bid last season. Ahead of Kim Hellberg’s first full campaign, the Riverside is focused on identifying where things went wrong and closing the loopholes to prevent it from happening again.

Borough were electrifying at times under the Swedish manager, who took over from Rob Edwards in November and briefly led the Championship in February.

After they achieved the top spot, though, Middlesbrough would win just four of their last 15 league games, two of which came in the final three outings, as their automatic promotion ambitions dwindled.

The poor form continued into the play-offs, as Kim Hellberg’s side became the first, and likely only, team to lose both the semi-finals and the final, after they were reinstated following Southampton’s expulsion due to being found guilty of illegally spying on Boro’s training session before the semi-final meeting at the Riverside.

Throughout that inconsistent run, one of the primary complaints of Kim Hellberg’s side was that, as games went on, the Swede’s frantic playstyle took its toll, and he lacked players with bags of energy at the top end of the pitch and the depth off the bench to continue it across 90 minutes.

Kim Hellberg wants pace and depth at Middlesbrough this summer

Hellberg has already addressed those two causes of worry in the window, with Myles Peart-Harris joining as Boro’s first signing of the summer, and Hull City’s Kyle Joseph likely to join him after it was revealed earlier this week that his move from the play-off champions is back on track.

But, ultimately, that is far from what Middlesbrough requires in the current summer transfer window. Boro’s manager prioritises pace and depth in the upcoming transfer window.”We need to take a step to expand the squad,” Hellberg told the Northern Echo. “Everyone noticed that our roster was too thin last season. “I’m not hiding from that; I believe it’s common ground for everyone.”Signing 11 players is not necessary; preparing young players can also be beneficial.Then increase the tempo. I believe everyone could see it in the end. The worst thing that occurred to us was that Tommy [Conway] did not play. Tommy was a standout player in the final.We need more than one player with such pace. I hope and believe that the squad will be stronger as a whole when we begin.

In a perfect world, more than one player would be confirmed through the door at this point in the summer, with the new season beginning in only four weeks with the EFL Cup’s first round, in which Borough will meet fellow Championship heavyweights Wrexham.

However, the World Cup and the desire to be patient have caused things to take a little longer. Finally, Hellberg is convinced he will receive what he needs and, in the meantime, is looking at some marginal players to see if they can make an impact this season.

“Of course, as a coach, you’d love to have six or seven fresh players here right away. “But that rarely happens,” he continued. “Sometimes they come a little later, which has opened up opportunities for players who may not have had that opportunity.”So I get to watch five or six extremely talented young players who train with us and offer them the opportunity to seize that chance. It’s the same for players returning from loan. “It can lead to positive outcomes.”Of course, we would like everyone to be standing here and ready to go, but that is not the case.

Middlesbrough are in the midst of an extremely hectic summer transfer window.

While Middlesbrough needs to add depth, Kim Hellberg must also deal with the loss of two starters and a couple of key squad players this summer, all of whom will need to be replaced.

Hayden Hackney and Dael Fry, the Championship’s top player and club captain, left this summer, as did Alan Browne and Matt Target at the end of their loan periods.

All four played crucial roles for the Borough last season, and their departure will leave their roster even thinner in the early stages of the upcoming pre-season.

With Hellberg at the helm, Middlesbrough are expected to be among the Championship’s frontrunners in the coming season, but he will require the resources to oversee a promotion year.

Despite having to replace important players annually, the Swedish head coach remains optimistic.At Hammarby, we sold a lot of players while constantly developing the team. That is what we are attempting to do. “Moving forward.”