Middlesbrough No2 Malcolm Crosby says any new signing made in January will add quality to the existing squad.

He told Boro's website: "What we have got to do is make sure that if we bring any players in, we strengthen our squad.

"It is never an easy time, January. You can end up with players who you were maybe not 100 per cent that you wanted.

"We have got to make sure that when we do bring somebody in, it is somebody we are going to have for the near future."

Boro's scouting network has been in action for several months trying to identify potential targets both at home and abroad.

Southgate has been linked with strikers Shola Ameobi, Darius Vassell and Afonso Alves among others as he attempts to recruit players to score the goals missing since the departures of Mark Viduka and Ayegbeni Yakubu during the close-season.

However, while he is giving nothing away, the search for new talent is stretching far and wide.

Crosby said: "You are always looking. Every club is the same, they are always looking to bring new additions into the squad because every club wants to strengthen their squad.

"We are no different to anybody else. We look everywhere. We have a good scouting set-up now. We scour Europe - we scour the world, basically.

"But it is sometimes nice if you can bring players in who have had Premier League experience, that can help.

"If you bring players in from abroad, sometimes it does take them time to settle in."