MIDDLESBROUGH’S first signing of the January transfer window Aaron Connolly admits the pull of playing under Chris Wilder played a major role in his decision to come to the club until the end of the season.

The 21-year-old joins from Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion. A quick and direct centre forward, he burst onto the scene as a Seagull scoring twice on his league debut against Tottenham Hotspur but has found game time hard to come by under Graham Potter. He’s been capped eight times as a full international for the Republic of Ireland.

Boro are expecting to have a busy January transfer window with Wilder and Head of Recruitment Kieran Scott wasting no time in getting bodies through the door. Connolly will go straight into contention for the club’s FA Cup third round tie against Mansfield this weekend.

Wilder has got the team flying on all fronts with four wins in a row in the Championship in a run of form that’s seen them climb into the play-off places and back into contention for a run at promotion. The way in which he has turned the outlook of their season around has been an outstanding start from the manager’s point of view.

From Connolly’s point of view, he feels he didn’t need to be convinced once he got the call from the Boro boss.

Boro’s newest signing said: “I didn’t need much persuasion to come here because it’s obviously a massive club but I spoke to the gaffer on Christmas Eve. We had a good chat on the phone and that was the final bit of persuasion that I needed. Didn’t need to look elsewhere. I knew after that phonecall that Middlesbrough would be the right place to come so I’m glad I made that decision now.

“I’ve played against the gaffer’s teams at Sheffield United. The way he had them playing, you could tell they knew what they were doing. They were tactically all there and they were a tough team to play against and you could see from our results against them with Brighton that they were tough and where they finished in the first season. I’m just excited to play under him.”

The old cliché is that if it’s not broken, then don’t try and fix it. Which certainly applies to Boro’s run of form. However, the success of any football team is built on a squad of players playing their part and Connolly is wanting to play a big role in ensuring Boro are a part of the promotion picture.

The Irishman will have to force his way into the team ahead of the likes of Andraz Sporar and Duncan Watmore. The current starters have current a positive vibe in the camp and Connolly is hopeful he can play a part in that.

He added: “I came in yesterday and there seems to be a good feel about the place. It’s nice to come into a place that’s winning and they are on a good run. Hopefully I can get into the team. It’s going to be tough to try and get into. If I do, hopefully I can help that momentum and keep going.

“It’s going to be tough. I’m not just going to come down from Brighton and expect to walk straight into the team. I’m here to help, first and foremost. Hopefully if I do get into the team then I can help with the winning run we’ve been on and I can help them push to the right end of the table.”

Meanwhile, Boro are expected to open negotiations with defender Neil Taylor with a view to extending his contract.

The 32-year-old’s deal expires in the middle of this month with the manager stating his desire to keep him at the club until the end of the season in light of Marc Bola’s knee injury.