Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson admits he has ambitions of seeing the club back in European competition as soon as possible.

Gibson said: "We enjoyed our two seasons in Europe and we would like to experience it all over again. We had some fabulous evenings here and we would like to bring it back.

"We are certainly capable of achieving that. This club has appeared in more cup finals than any other outside the top four over the last 10 years.

"We've had 10 years in the Premiership and only seven or eight other clubs have managed that.

"If the last 10 years were the best in the club's history, then we want to make the next 10 even better."

He added: "I was pleased to read an interview with Jonathan Woodgate where he was saying he wanted to help take the club into a European spot. We feel the same way; that if we get the right players in, then it is possible.

"We believe in the spine of the team that we have got here and we are trying to strengthen it."