Mido has attempted to convince Jonathan Woodgate to snub a move to Tottenham and stay with Middlesbrough.

Egypt striker and former Spurs man Mido said: "He's an important player for us but if he leaves we'll all wish him the best. We wanted him to stay though.

"He's a very good footballer, and secondly he's a great lad to work with every day. Spurs want him because he's a very good player and it's not easy to find as good a defender as him.

"I hope we keep our best players, that's all I can say. I came here and I know the club wants to go forward. If he leaves I hope we get good players to replace him.

"When you want to run a club it's not just about the 11 actually playing to do well, you need at least 20 strong players.'