Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate has shrugged off losing out to Newcastle in the battle for former Manchester United striker Alan Smith.

"I spoke with him and we were in there right until the very end," said Southgate in the Daily Mail. "That was quite an achievement in that obviously we weren't offering the same transfer package as other teams who fell by the wayside much earlier.

"But Alan felt his career opportunities were better at Newcastle.

"We would ideally like to bring in a couple more players if we can.

"We have to cut our cloth accordingly and the gates we get will have an impact, so we are appealing to fans.

"We are desperate to succeed and we need the fans with us."