MIDO has signed a four-year contract after Boro completed a £6m deal with Spurs for the Egyptian international striker.


The 24-year-old, whose full name is Ahmed Hossam Hussein Abdelhamid, has been granted a work permit and is available for Saturday's trip to Fulham.


Manager Gareth Southgate believes Mido can thrive on the sort of service Boro are capable of giving - particularly from England winger Stewart Downing.

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"He is someone I played against as a player and he always impressed me," he said.
He gave me a hard game and he certainly has attributes I'd like to bring into the team to give us different options.

"When you've got one of the best crossers of the balls in the league in Stewart Downing, you want someone like Mido who can head the ball.

"You want a centre-forward to hold the ball up, to be a physical presence and to score goals. Mido brings all of those attributes."

Mido,who has scored 18 goals in 44 games for African champions Egypt, made his name in Belgium before moving to Ajax and after a loan spell at Celta Vigo joined Serie A giants Roma.


He made a huge impression with Spurs during an 18-month loan spell, scoring 11 league goals in 27 starts in the 2005/06 season.


That eye-catching form earned him a permanent move to White Hart Lane, but with Dimitar Berbatov, Robbie Keane and Jermaine Defoe all competing for striking places he struggled to get his game.

"Mido is a player I believe possibly has a point to prove," said Southgate. "He is a player of great ability, a strong player and a big character - someone who can lead from the front.

"He's got good technical ability and he's a goalscorer. He has proved that in his career in Holland and France and at Tottenham.

"He has got a desire to come here and score goals, and that is an important thing for any team.

"In terms of the squad, we needed another striker and he will give us different options. He's very good in the air, and that will be an important contribution.

"We have got some very good players here, players of great character and big reputation.

"That's one of the reasons we were able to attract Mido to come here. We need strength in depth and I feel we need four strikers to provide competition for places."

Mido will be officially introduced as a Boro player in a press conference at Rockliffe Park tommorow afternoon





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