Middlesbrough have announced the signing of Folarin Balogan from Arsenal on loan for the remainder of the season, and took the opportunity to use the announcement as a cheeky swipe at north-east rivals Newcastle United.

Boro have picked up nicely under Chris Wilder and have every chance of returning to the Premier League at the end of the campaign, where they may well end up reviving their on-pitch rivalry with Newcastle if the Magpies stay up.

Indeed, United are looking to use the January window as an aid to that aim with Kieran Trippier an early eye-catching signing, though one of the tweets around his arrival caught the eye for amusing reasons with the way he was posing and pointing well away from the club crest:

This was not lost on Middlesbrough, either, who had this to say about Balogan:

The Verdict

The Trippier tweet certainly went viral when it arrived on our screens and phones with many wondering just what the tactic behind it was.

A clever marketing ploy to attract interest in the sponsor on the sleeve, or maybe a ruse to generate pure interest on social media - you have to say both could have been achieved with the way it blew up.

Middlesbrough have offered a clever retort here, though, and it might not be the last we see in the next few days.