Neil Warnock is starting to put together his Middlesbrough squad ahead of the 2021-22 season and in typical fashion there has been some experienced names coming through the door.
Boro let some long-serving names leave the club, with the likes of Britt Assombalonga, Ashley Fletcher and Marvin Johnson all waving goodbye to the Riverside at the end of their contracts.
Warnock has started to replace some of the attacking talent with the signings of experienced winger Sammy Ameobi, who returns on a permanent basis after an initial loan spell eight years ago, whilst Wycombe Wanderers striker Uche Ikpeazu has arrived after a six-goal haul in the Championship last season.
There has also been a bolstering of the defence as well, with experienced full-back Lee Peltier arriving on a one-year deal having last played in the Premier League for West Brom.
The 34-year-old has a wealth of Football League experience and Warnock will be looking to count on it as Boro go for a play-off push next season - and Peltier has spoken to Boro's media team for the first time since he joined.
“It feels great to be here. It all happened very quickly but I’m really happy to get it sorted and get myself ready for pre-season," said Peltier, per Boro's official website.
"I'm looking forward to the new challenge.
“I’ve worked with Neil a couple of times now and once he called me and said he was interested in signing me I knew I’d be coming to play for him again.
“He’s a great manager, we’ve had a lot of success together and hopefully we can have some more.
“I’ve been around a long time now so I bring plenty of experience. Hopefully I can bring something to the team and add a little bit more of what I know they’ve already got. Hopefully that will help the group.”
The Verdict
Even though he is getting to the latter stages of his career, Peltier is still a solid addition for a Championship club even if he's not a regular starter.
Peltier has experienced promotion to the Premier League with Cardiff in the past and Warnock can potentially count on that as he looks to get the Teessiders back into the top flight.
The veteran does lack recent game-time though - he was a regular at the Bluebirds but featured just four times in the league last season for the Baggies, so a rigorous pre-season will be needed to get him up to speed and he will then compete with Anfernee Dijksteel and Darnell Fisher for a spot in the team.