Neil Warnock has suggested that Middlesbrough's squad are just two or three players away from being able to challenge the best teams in the Championship following his departure.
Middlesbrough made the decision to part ways with Warnock ahead of their trip to West Brom on Saturday, that came with Boro having dropped down into the bottom half of the table with them having suffered successive defeats against Birmingham City and Luton Town.
Boro were able to ensure that Warnock left the Riverside with a decent final result with them holding West Brom to a draw at the Hawthorns.
Middlesbrough could even have won the game had they been able to hang onto Josh Coburn's opening goal, but Grady Diangana's equaliser meant the game finished all square.
It has now been confirmed that Chris Wilder is to be the man entrusted with taking over at the Riverside.
The former Sheffield United manager will be hoping he can get the right backing in the transfer market to get his side challenging for the play-offs.
Speaking to Teesside Live following the confirmation of his exit from Middlesbrough, Warnock insisted that he feels the squad is capable of really challenging if they can just add two or three quality players to the mix.
He said: “I’m glad I’ve been able to stabilise the club and now, we’re two or three players away from a really good side.
“We’ve got young lads coming through like Josh and Isaiah who I’m really proud of.
“We’ve got rid of all the distractions in the dressing room. There were one or two that I didn’t want in the dressing room and I think I’ve done the job and the dirty work that the next manager will benefit from.
“It’s a great squad now. It just needs two or three players and I think they will be as good as anything.
“I’m disappointed tonight obviously. You don’t like to lose your job but I think the club has got to look to the future and it will be interesting to see if the new manager can get any more than what I could get out of them."
The Verdict
It was sad to see Warnock's time as Boro manager come to an end, but a change is probably what was going to be needed this season to get them challenging for promotion to the Premier League.
Wilder seems like an excellent fit for them and he arrives with a strong reputation especially at Championship level.
Warnock is probably right that Wilder will need to make two or three quality signings in key areas before Middlesbrough can be good enough to challenge the best in the division.
Therefore, you would expect that he has had assurances over the backing he will be given in the transfer market before he took the job.
Wilder's recruitment in his Championship and League One years at Sheffield United was spot on.
He will need to replicate that at Middlesbrough is he is going to be able to succeed where Warnock could not in getting them back into the top-flight.