MIDDLESBROUGH'S impressive end to the Championship season hasn't impacted their plans for the summer transfer window - with recent form giving club bosses and the coaching team added confidence that the club is on the right path on and off the pitch.

While Boro have come up short in their bid to reach the top six this season, they've lost just one of their last 11 games and will finish eighth with a win against Watford on Saturday, impressive considering the slow start to the campaign after a summer of upheaval and a string of disruptive injury blows.

Head coach Michael Carrick believes strong foundations are already in place for next season, but Boro will look to further strengthen their squad this summer, with priorities and targets having long been identified.

And while the promising end to the season has delighted Boro's coaches and hierarchy, it doesn't mean they won't press on with their plans come the opening of the summer window.

“The last 11 games haven’t had much impact on summer plans," said Carrick.

"It shows the direction we want to go in and we’re, in some ways, happy with where that’s going.

"We’d like to be little bit higher up the league and be a little bit quicker with the success, but I think we’ve proved we’re moving in the right direction. So it’s not altered what we think really. If anything, it’s just backed up how much we believe in the boys and what we’re capable of.”

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Boro will look to strengthen the forward line this summer, with a striker and attacking midfielders on the wishlist - but one player who won't be heading for Teesside is Jamal Lowe.

The Bournemouth forward, who has spent the season on loan at Swansea, is a free agent and Boro have been linked, but Lowe is not a target.

After last summer's overhaul, Carrick believes continuity can benefit Boro in the coming months moving into next season.

He said: “Of course we’d like to get business done early, but there is a balance to that. We look at how much needs doing, the consistency and continuity is just as important in terms of the squad and the boys knowing each other and having that connection because that does take time. But, of course, we want to improve the squad and the sooner we can do that the better.”