AS he enjoys a well-earned summer break, Aitor Karanka will be pondering how best to ensure Middlesbrough secure promotion next season. Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson looks at the five key challenges facing the head coach

Replacing Patrick Bamford

With last season’s leading goalscorer seemingly set for a loan spell in the Premier League if he leaves Stamford Bridge again next season, Boro find themselves with a gaping hole at the head of their attack.

Re-signing Jelle Vossen on a permanent basis would remedy some of the problem, but even if the Belgian was to return, Aitor Karanka seems to prefer him as a deep-lying forward rather than the leader of the line.

Blackburn’s Jordan Rhodes is a long-term target, although the Scotsman’s price tag could well prove prohibitive and Boro will face top-flight competition if Rovers opt to sell their leading asset.

Karanka’s key decision will be whether to sign a new striker permanently and almost certainly use up the bulk of his transfer budget in the process, or attempt to engineer a loan deal for an up-and-coming striker in Bamford’s ilk. The trouble is, there’s unlikely to be too many people fitting the latter description available.

Holding on to key assets

While Boro ultimately missed out on a place in the Premier League last term, the fact they came so close to securing promotion should not be overlooked. The most damaging thing that could happen this summer would be for Karanka to rip the squad apart in order to start again.

There have already been a number of exits, with Dean Whitehead joining the club’s departing loanees and academy players following the decision not to renew his contract.

However, it is important that the exodus stops there. Aston Villa lead a lengthening list of clubs eyeing left-back George Friend, while both Albert Adomah and Grant Leadbitter have attracted considerable interest in previous transfer windows and are likely to be in demand once again.

Karanka is unlikely to lose any of his key men without a battle, and crucially, chairman Steve Gibson has already pledged to do everything he can to support another promotion push. If anyone was to leave before the end of August, it would only be for an astronomical fee.

Raising the squad’s morale

Unsurprisingly, Middlesbrough’s post-play-off party was an extremely subdued affair, with players and staff gradually coming to terms with the fact that they would be spending another season in the Championship.

Ensuring the post-Wembley hangover does not spill over into next season will be a major challenge, and the history books suggest that teams who lose in the play-off final do not bounce back to win promotion in the following campaign. That was certainly true of Derby County last season.

A handful of new signings will help to freshen things up, but the pre-season period will be crucial in terms of drawing a line under last season’s failings and ensuring Boro hit the ground running in August.

Last season’s record of three defeats from the opening five matches should focus minds, and while the pre-season schedule is still to be confirmed, there is an expectation that Karanka will take his squad back to Marbella in an attempt to begin restoring morale.

Signing a proven right-back

Leaving aside the need for a Bamford replacement for a moment, there are very few gaping gaps in the rest of the Middlesbrough squad. The key exception to that, however, is at right-back.

Tomas Kalas and Ryan Fredericks shared the duties for the majority of last term, but both have returned to their parent clubs. Whitehead, who played at right-back in the three play-off games, has been released, and Emilio Nsue has not really convinced when he has been pitched into the full-back berth.

Re-signing Kalas is an option, and the Czech international hinted at a desire to return to the Riverside after he played the final game of his loan spell at Carrow Road.

If – and admittedly it’s a big if – Rhys Williams was to return to full fitness and rediscover his best form, he would be an attractive proposition. As things stand though, right-back is the one area of the field where Karanka is starting with a blank sheet.

Building on the buzz

One of the biggest achievements of the final two months of the season was the way in which the Middlesbrough hierarchy successfully reconnected with the band of stay-away fans who had turned their back on the Riverside following the club’s relegation in 2009.

Not only was there 40,000 Middlesbrough fans at Wembley for the play-off final, but the club was also able to dig out the ‘Sold out’ signs for the final home game of the regular campaign against Brighton and the play-off semi-final with Brentford.

How many of those fans will be persuaded to return next season? Season cards went back on sale yesterday, with around 12,600 already having been sold in the first tranche of selling, and if Boro could add another 3-4,000 to their average home attendance, it could have a significant effect in terms of both financial wriggle room and improving the atmosphere at the Riverside.

Karanka has a role to play in the process, as while his rallying cries towards the end of the campaign raised the issue of Boro’s dormant support, it is dangerous to question the fans’ attitude too often. Adopting a more conciliatory approach in the build up to the start of the new season would be a wise decision.