MIDDLESBROUGH manager Chris Wilder is now hopeful that Djed Spence’s long awaited move to Tottenham Hotspur can see them move things along in the transfer window.

Spence’s £20 million switch to the Premier League giants was rubber stamped yesterday with Boro set to receive an initial fee of around £15 million.

Progress has been slow over the last month but they did confirm the loan signing of goalkeeper Zack Steffen earlier today who joined the club from Manchester City.

Wilder has publicly declared his desire to bring in a number of strikers before the start of the season and there was a sense of relief that the saga can now be put to bed.

“It’s not been ideal and we all know it in terms of the delay in what finally went off today (Djed Spence). But now we can move forward” said the Boro boss.

“It’s been a good pre-season, but I think everyone can see the group and understands, both inside and outside of the football club, that we need to strengthen. That’s obviously the biggest topic now.

“The targets we’ve identified, we have to get them over the line and give the group a help in hand. I think that team tonight would do alright in the Championship, but Steve (Gibson) understands I didn’t come here, and he didn’t bring me here either, just to do alright.

“We want to push, we want to be better, but it won’t happen overnight. But we are working hard to get some good players in to compliment the good group with a fabulous mentality that we’ve got.”

Spence's move is an obvious boost to the club's bank balance but while they will have cash to spend, Boro find themselves in a position of weakness when it comes to squad depth which is something he is looking to immediately address before the start of the position.

He continued: “It clarifies the positions we want to address. Are we going to go through the whole season with Riley McGree at number ten behind Duncan Watmore? I’ve got not problem with that in some games, but that department needs to be addressed and we’re working hard to do that.

“I’m delighted with the goalkeeper situation now that Zack has come in. I think it’s a fabulous signing and his mentality as well as his ability, as well as where he’s played, makes that obvious. There is still some positions to fill and some boys to come in to give us strength in depth and competition, that we need to have a positive season.”

Now that the long running saga involving wantaway defender Spence has reached it’s conclusion, Wilder wanted to labour the point that the whole club is now on the same page when it comes to conducing business for the remainder of the transfer window.

Boro are keen to add forwards in before the start of the season which comes next weekend against West Brom. 

He added: “These things, as we’ve seen with Spence, can take time and they don’t always happen quickly. Every manager would ideally love 23-24 players to work with right through pre-season but it just doesn’t work that way.

“We have got targets, but there might be other players that pop up towards the back end of this week or next, and we think, we can possibly do that as well. Let’s be right about it, it’s not the be all and end all. We want to improve the squad, and you guys have worked with the owner longer than I have, he’s ambitious and wants to get the best horses to win the biggest races.

“We understand that we have to go and get some good players to compliment the good players we already have here and I’m sure we will. Everyone at the football club understands that and myself, Steve, Kieran (Scott) and Neil (Bausor) are all on the same page and working tirelessly to get deals done to add more quality to what we’ve already got.”