Middlesbrough confirm details of transfer agreement with Brighton | OneFootball

Middlesbrough have completed the signing of centre back Matt Clarke from Brighton, the Championship club have confirmed.

Clarke joined Brighton from Portsmouth back in the summer of 2019, but never actually made a senior appearance for the Seagulls.

The defender instead spent the past three seasons back on loan in the Championship with the likes of Derby County and West Brom.

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Now though, the 25-year-old has completed a permanent return to the second-tier, after joining Middlesbrough on a long-term deal.

It has been announced that Clarke has joined ‘Boro on a three-year contract, with the option to extend by a further year, effectively securing his future at The Riverside Stadium until the end of the 2025/26 season.

Clarke has joined for an undisclosed fee, which has been reported to be worth around £2.25million, and becomes ‘Boro’s tenth senior signing of the summer transfer window.

Darragh Lenihan, Liam Roberts, Marcus Forss, Matthew Hoppe, Alex Mowatt, Ryan Giles, Zack Steffen, Rodrigo Muniz and Tommy Smith have all already linked up with Chris Wilder’s side.

The Verdict

This does look as though it could prove to be a very useful piece of business for ‘Boro to get done.

The club have seemingly been in need of a left-sided centre back throughout the course of the window, and that is something they have now got with the addition of Clarke.

In the 25-year-old, they have someone with a good deal of proven experience and ability at this level, meaning he should certainly be able to do a very decent job for Chris Wilder’s side going forward.

Given the fee and the quality that Clarke possesses, this also feels like something of a statement of intent from Middlesbrough, which should help lift the mood around the club after a poor start to the season.