Boro seal deal for Pogatetz
Middlesbrough have signed Austrian international defender Emanuel Pogatetz on a five-year deal.
The 22-year-old will arrive from Bayer Leverkusen on July 1 after Boro agreed a fee with the German side which could eventually be worth up to £1.8m (€2.7m).
Pogatetz, who can operate at left-back or in a central role, completed a medical yesterday and the move will go through providing he receives international clearance.
Boro boss Steve McClaren said: “Emanuel has impressive international and European experience for a lad of his age.
“But he is only 22 and can go on improving, so we are looking to the future. We are trying to create competition for places throughout the team, which is something we lacked last season.
“We want to avoid getting into the situation we had last season when we wanted to rest senior players but didn’t have cover for injuries.
“The fact that Emanuel can play either as a full-back or in the centre of defence is a big bonus.”
Pogatetz, who has 15 caps for Austria, will not join up with his new team-mates until July 18 after being on loan at Spartak Moscow recently and playing for them last weekend.
