Steve Gibson has said that the number of out of contract Middlesbrough players this summer means the club can 'rebuild and reshape'.

The Teessiders have a number of key players who will be free agents in the summer with the likes of Jonny Howson, Daniel Ayala, George Friend, Ryan Shotton, Adam Clayton, Marvin Johnson and Rudy Gestede all out of contract.

Trimming the wage bill is a big motivation for the club moving forward and, according to the club chairman, the current situation surrounding contracts gives them the opportunity to do that.

Speaking to Teesside Live, Gibson said: “When he was unveiled Jonathan said he wanted to change the style to a more attacking approach and that has been difficult this season but he remains committed to that.

“And that is now just his ambition, it is the ambition of everyone at the club. We want to play in a way that excites and succeeds. But that takes time to evolve.

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“We knew we had some bright youngsters coming through and we have seen some of them flourish this season and we can take a lot of satisfaction from that. That has been part of the season that has been uplifting.

“Not winning enough games has been the biggest disappointment, not creating and scoring enough goals. As a club we know the areas that we need to address

“We have a lot of people out of contract this summer and that presents an opportunity to rebuild and reshape and move closer to the kind of team and kind of football we want to see at this football club.

“But we have to be patient. And it won’t happen overnight. Football is difficult to succeed at.

“A dozen teams want the things that we want, to be challenging, to be promoted.

“There is no easy solution, no right way to get out of this division. If there was then we would do it.

“We will look to strengthen the team in the summer and start giving Jonathan Woodgate the tools to do the job.

“But right now we need to get out of the situation we are in.

“And the most important thing right now is that we stay united as a club, on and off the pitch.”

Can you identify these Middlesbrough players based on their date of birth and birthplace? Have a go!

The verdict

It could be an unsettling summer for those around Middlesbrough.

As well as the battle to avoid relegation from the Championship it seems that the club will be facing wholesale changes in their playing squad.

While it'll be good for the club to dramatically chop the wage bill, it will no doubt have a massive impact on the calibre of Jonathan Woodgate's first team squad.

Even if Middlesbrough do stay up, losing so many players could pose a real problem going into the new season.