Middlesbrough have announced the signing of Ryan Shotton from Birmingham City on the club’s official website.

Shotton has agreed a three-year deal at the Riverside Stadium, after Boro and Birmingham finally settled on a time to complete the transfer.

It has been reported that a fee had been agreed between the two clubs for some time, but Birmingham were delaying a deal until Harry Redknapp had found a suitable replacement.

Birmingham have secured the service of Harlee Dean, which has enabled Shotton to make his move to the North East, where he has become Garry Monk’s ninth signing of the summer transfer window.

Shotton has spent the last 18-months with Birmingham, initially on-loan, before making that move permanent last summer.

During his time at St Andrew’s, the 28-year-old managed to make total of 56 appearances for the Blues, including 45 across all competitions during the 2016/17 campaign.

So far this season Shotton has struggled to work his way into Birmingham’s starting XI, making just two appearances across all competitions.

Shotton will link up with his new teammates later this week, and could make his Boro debut following the international break, when Monk’s side travel to the Macron Stadium to face Bolton Wanderers.

The Verdict  

This has been a transfer that has been on the cards for a while now, and all parties involved are likely to be pleased with the outcome of Shotton’s move to the Riverside Stadium.

Garry Monk has been looking for defensive reinforcements for a number of weeks now, and Shotton’s arrival will add more competition to an already star-studded squad at the Riverside Stadium.

Boro’s supporters will fear that Shotton’s arrival will encourage bids for Ben Gibson, who has already attracted bids from the Premier League this summer.

Middlesbrough fans… Let us know your thoughts!