Boro boss defends spending in reponse to Dyche

Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka has responded to comments from Sean Dyche on his perceived free-spending.
Middlesbrough boss Aitor KarankaMiddlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka
Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka

Boro play Derby - another big-spending club this summer - tonight, with Dyche believing “the market has gone absolutely mad.”

Derby have spent more than £10m on new recruits this summer, while Boro have lavished £5m on Stewart Downing, £2.8m on Cristhian Stuani and £4m on David Nugent.

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Dyche has invested in his own squad, though the club have brought more money in with the sales of Kieran Trippier, Danny Ings - with a tribunal due to set the fee - and captain Jason Shackell.

Sean DycheSean Dyche
Sean Dyche

He said earlier this summer: “That’s the tough side of it at the moment, we have got money, and yet some of the deals other clubs are doing are massive for the Championship.”

Boro had had interest in Blackburn Rovers striker Jordan Rhodes, with a reported £12m offer on the table, and Dyche added: “If the Rhodes one is reality, where is the ceiling for the Championship? That’s beyond Burnley Football Club, not because we’re trying to be frugal, just because there has to be a future here. None of us have seen that in the Championship before.

“I say it all the time, the market has gone absolutely mad, I was talking to a head of recruitment at a very big Premier League club, and he was saying they can’t believe the market, and how hard it’s been to get deals done.

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“We have money, but the targets still have to be within the right bracket, I’m not talking hundreds of thousands, I’m talking millions, but it still has to be within the right bracket for this football club.

“There can’t be nine and 10 millions – at this moment, who knows longer term – because we would have done that last year, we are very active, but finding it a real challenge to get other clubs to accept bids and allow players to change, but it’s not just us.”

Karanka defended Boro’s activity: “We are spending money this season because we felt the moment was now to spend money.

“Others spent money when they were in the Premier League last season. The money in this division tends to be with the teams who were in the Premier League.

“For this reason, I can’t understand (Dyche’s) comments. We are signing players this season, but (Burnley) signed players last season and I think they are also signing them this season.”