ADAM FORSHAW claims Middlesbrough’s summer transfer business means the club is in a much stronger position now than it was at the end of last season.

Diego Fabbrini became Boro’s fourth summer addition when he completed a season-long move from Watford yesterday, with Christian Stuani’s £3m switch from Spanish side Espanyol also due to be confirmed within the next 48 hours.

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Fabbrini, who has been signed primarily as a right midfielder but who can also play in a more central attacking-midfield role, will help compensate for the loss of Jelle Vossen and Emmanuel Ledesma, while Stuani will help replace Patrick Bamford, who topped Boro’s goalscoring charts last term.

Stewart Downing is another high-profile attacking recruit, and with a package worth £12m remaining on the table for Blackburn striker Jordan Rhodes, the Teessiders should be in decent attacking shape as they look to improve on last season’s narrow miss in the play-off final.

Forshaw joined Middlesbrough during the January transfer window, and having watched his side come so close to securing promotion in May, the midfielder is confident his first full season will prove a success.

“I definitely think we’ll be a team to be feared,” said Forshaw, who has been one of the stand-out performers during Boro’s pre-season programme. “If we can finish pre-season well, then we’ll be able to go into the first game with Preston and show what we’re about.

“The players who have come in have been brilliant, and hopefully we can all chip in together and do what we want to do.”

Downing’s arrival in a £5m move from West Ham has been interpreted as an especially powerful statement of intent, with the England international admitting last week that Steve Gibson’s ambitious recruitment drive was a key factor in his decision to turn down alternative offers from the Premier League in order to rejoin his hometown club.

Sean Dyche became the latest high-profile Championship figure to bemoan Boro’s spending power over the weekend - the Burnley boss accused the Teessiders of “throwing money around everywhere” – and while Derby County are also involved in an extensive recruitment drive, there is every chance that the new campaign will begin with Steve Gibson having sanctioned the Football League’s biggest summer outlay.

That brings an inevitable pressure, not to mention an increased degree of competition within the squad, but Forshaw insists it is hugely exciting to be welcoming players like Downing into the fold.

“You've got to enjoy it,” he said. “Growing up as a kid, you want to play in the best teams, test yourself and go as far as you can. To have a player (Downing) of that calibre in our team is brilliant, and hopefully he can help us be where we want to be at the end of the season.”

Forshaw will be back in action as Boro continue their pre-season programme with a trip to Barnsley tomorrow, and while Grant Leadbitter and Adam Clayton were Karanka’s preferred central-midfield pairing for the majority of last season, the 23-year-old Liverpudlian is pushing hard for a starting spot in the opening Championship game at Preston on August 9.

He managed just six Boro starts after moving from Wigan Athletic last term, and is understandably keen to increase his level of involvement in the forthcoming campaign.

“I just want to help the team out,” he said. “Whether it be me playing or anyone else playing, we’re all in it together and we’re a team striving for the same things.

“Of course, it would be lovely to play as many games as possible, but if I’m not chosen some weeks then I’ll be hoping the lads do the job as we’re all in it together.

“Competition for places is good all over the pitch, not just in the midfield, and the sessions in training have been at a really high standard. They’ve been sharp and quick, with everyone trying to get that starting place.”