Jonathan Woodgate has said that Middlesbrough could find it difficult to sign new players in January, particularly if they're embroiled in a relegation battle.

Two wins in 15 fixtures has left the Teessiders sitting in 22nd place in the Championship, meaning that on current form they could be fighting to avoid the drop to League One.

Middlesbrough are trying to cut their cloth accordingly with the addition of high potential signings, with the likes of Anfernee Dijksteel, Marc Bola and Marcus Browne joining the club during the summer.

You'd imagine that any new additions could be of a similar profile, however Woodgate admitted that luring players to the Riverside could prove to be difficult if their Championship status is in jeopardy.

Speaking in his press conference, as quoted by Teesside Live, Woodgate said: "January is always a notorious window anyway, no matter what position you are in.

“But it is harder to get the players you want if you are in a poor position.

“There’s some players won’t fancy a move somewhere for a relegation battle.

“But I want to make additions, of course I do. The right ones. If we can. I hope so.

“We definitely need something, we need extra bodies and extra players, that’s without a shadow of a doubt.

“We need that and hopefully we will get that.”

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“We had the likes of Mo Besic from Everton and Jordan Hugill from West Ham here last season.Woodgate added: "The financial reality was seen in pre-season really and right up to the start of the season.

“But we’ve gone from loaning players from Premier League clubs on a lot of money to signing players from League One.

“So the reality was already there in that sense. But you have to get on with it.”

The verdict

Jonathan Woodgate hit the nail on the head when he said that Middlesbrough need new bodies.

A number of injuries have left his squad looking particularly thin with several U23 players being drafted in to make up the numbers on a matchday.

Such is the situation that they find themselves in, Woodgate may be forced into the loan market for new additions.

While these players are likely to be more expensive in terms of wage packets and loan fees, it could be essential to ensure that Middlesbrough don't find themselves battling for survival.