http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Jonathan-Woodgate-c19069 has decamped from the Britannia Stadium to sign a three year deal with the Championship outfit Middlesbrough.
The former Real Madrid defender was signed by the Potters in July last year on a one year deal from Tottenham Hotspur. He made just 21 appearances in all competitions during his brief stay at the Britannia Stadium.
The 32-year old had previously spent a one-year loan spell with the Boro during 2006/07 season, after failing to establish his place at the Bernabeu. He later went on to pen a four year contract with the club, tying him up at the Riverside Stadium till June
2011.
However, the defender made another switch to Tottenham in January 2008, where he went on to make 65 appearances.
Talking of his recent move to Middlesbrough, Woodgate revealed the reason behind the decision to be his strong desire to help the Boro reclaim their place in the Premier League.
Tony Mowbray’s team finished seventh in the Championship table last season-five points short of securing a place in the play-offs.
Woodgate told the reporters in an interview, “The pull of helping Boro back in the Premier League is very strong for me. And from what I have seen of the current squad, I think it's achievable.”
The 32-year old also unravelled that he carried out a meeting with the Boro boss to discuss the club’s future, and mentioned that he wants his team to enter into the top division as soon as possible.
“http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Tony-c35440 also likes his teams to play football the right way, and that was also a big plus point for me. It's just a great feeling to come back to this football club,” he said.
Although the player was signed by Middlesbrough for a 7 million pounds transfer fee in 2007, Boro acquired his services for free this time around as the player appeared in the summer market as a free agent.
Meanwhile, Mowbray let out his delight over successfully signing the defender, and admitted that his passion and determination of lifting the club to the summit of English football was commendable.
He also observed that Woodgate will bring with him an invaluable experience of playing for some of the biggest teams in the world, and let out his aim of utilising his potential in the coming term.
“I don't need to eulogise about Jonathan's quality. He's played for some of the biggest clubs in the world. We need to build on that experience and the quality he brings to our squad.”
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