Middlesbrough Football Club

• Nickname:Boro
• Founded:1876
• Manager:Tony Mowbray

• Ground:Riverside Stadium
• Capacity:35049

Boro keen to snare Watson

23 Jan 2009 - 12:36:07

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Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate believes he is close to finalising a deal to bring Crystal Palace midfielder Ben Watson to the Riverside Stadium.

Boro have already signed Marlon King on loan from Wigan Athletic this week, while Mido looks set to move in the opposite direction.

Southgate has agreed a £2million fee with Palace counterpart Neil Warnock for Watson who he believes will be a welcome acquisition.

He said: "We want to bring Ben here because he's a hard-working player who scores goals from midfield.

"He's very effective at set-pieces and he has a desire to do well and improve himself.

"It's a deal we want to get done because we believe he's another who will prove an excellent addition to our squad.

"He's a former England Under-21 player and he's ready to make the step up."