How Middlesbrough won the race for Callum Brittain as Blackburn Rovers finally admit defeat 

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Middlesbrough’s summer transfer window has kicked into life, and EFL Analysis can reveal how they’ve won the race for right-back Callum Brittain.

Middlesbrough fans were down in the dumps earlier this week after the club accepted a £20 million bid from Ipswich Town for midfielder Hayden Hackney.

The 23-year-old is now deciding whether to join Kieran McKenna’s project at Ipswich, which could see Rob Edwards lose a vital part of his squad.

Boro have only signed centre-back Alfie Jones and midfielder Abdoulaye Kante so far, but with just eight days until the Championship season kicks off, they’re closing in on their third signing.

It was revealed on Thursday that Boro have agreed a £3.5 million transfer for Callum Brittain ahead of Derby County, and now one factor explains why.

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How Middlesbrough beat Derby County to Callum Brittain transfer

Although it was said that Derby had agreed on a transfer for Brittain earlier in July, the Teessiders have beaten them to the punch, and our Chief Football Correspondent, Graeme Bailey, can offer insight into how they’ve pulled off a deal.

“Boro are starting to make in-roads in the transfer market and Callum Brittain has been one of their top targets all summer, they thought a deal was close a few weeks ago but Blackburn have been a tough nut to crack,” Bailey told EFL Analysis.

“The player though has pushed for the deal, Boro are in desperate need of wing-backs on both sides and Brittain will slot straight into Rob Edwards’s plans.”

While Brittain has enjoyed pre-season in Spain with Rovers, he has always had his mind set on working under Edwards at Boro.

That is why he ‘pushed for the deal’ in the end, seeing a move to the Riverside as an ideal opportunity to play as a wing-back in the manager’s system.

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Valerien Ismael’s verdict on Brittain

At the age of 27, Brittain is a seasoned Championship defender, and he slots perfectly into Edwards’ team at Boro, becoming a dangerous attacking threat down the right.

The Englishman recorded five assists in 35 appearances in all competitions last term, showcasing his attacking potential under John Eustace and then Valerian Ismael.

“He’s one of the best, definitely,” Ismael said of Brittain in April via the Lancashire Telegraph. “I knew that since Barnsley, but I knew that with the way we want to play, he’s a perfect player for what we want to implement

“As I say, I don’t need to say a lot of words this afternoon, I think everyone at the stadium saw. It was just wow what he brought to the team.

“He’s a very important player for me as a player, as a human being. You know now that I work with him very closely, intensively at Barnsley.”

As an attacking outlet, Brittain is outstanding, but as a person, he’s also top notch and that bodes well for him at Boro.