McClaren linked to double swoop
Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren is looking to land two Austrian signings during the summer.
McClaren is understood to be on the trail of Austria internationals Rene Aufhauser and Emanuel Pogatetz, who both played against Boro for Graz AK in the UEFA Cup in February.
Midfielder Aufhauser has since impressed for Austria in the recent World Cup qualifying double-header with Wales, notably scoring a late winner in the game in Vienna when ’keeper Danny Coyne fumbled the ball over his line.
Left-back Pogatetz, who was on loan to home-town club Graz from Bayer Leverkusen when he lined up against McClaren’s side, has now been farmed out to Spartak Moscow.
It is believed McClaren could sign both players for a combined maximum fee of £3m (€4.4m) and in doing so beat off competition from a number of other clubs.
Aufhauser, in particular, is being monitored and is clearly keen on a move as he said: “I know scouts from Italy, England and Germany have been taking a closer look at me for one-and-a-half years now.
“Scouts were present for Austria’s game in Wales too, but so far I haven’t received any concrete offer yet.
“However, I have to admit that for any Austrian player it’s a dream come true to play in one of the leading leagues in Europe.”
After failing to strengthen his squad during the transfer window at a time when Boro were decimated by injuries, McClaren appears determined to make amends throughout the closed season.
Portsmouth striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu is seemingly set for the Riverside, along with Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher, while McClaren is also apparently keeping tabs on Sporting Lisbon’s teenage star Joao Moutinho.
Goalkeeper Brad Jones, meanwhile, has become the latest Middlesbrough player to pledge himself to the club.
Australian Jones, whose current contract was due to expire this summer, has signed a new two-year deal that ties him to Boro until the end of the 2006-07 season.
The 23-year-old found himself in the spotlight on Saturday when he made only his second Premier League start after compatriot Mark Schwarzer sustained a back injury during warm-up ahead of a 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal.
Jones, whose only other first-team appearances came in January last year in an FA Cup victory over Notts County and league win against Fulham, has spent much time on loan in his five years with Boro to date.
Along with spells at Stockport and Rotherham, Jones has also twice played for Blackpool which includes a three-month stint at Bloomfield Road this season.
