Stewart Downing expects more eye-catching signings to follow him to Middlesbrough and help his hometown club push for promotion.
The 31-year-old has returned to the Riverside after stints at Aston Villa, Liverpool and West Ham United and is hoping to be back in the Premier League sooner rather than later.
Downing will be expected to spearhead that challenge of going one better than last season’s play-off final defeat by Norwich City but the £5m capture has been assured other proven players will be coming on board.
“For me it was a good time to come back,” he said. “I had a good offer from Middlesbrough, so the security of the contract was good, but the pull was my hometown club. It was also the plans the chairman has and players he was bringing in. I can’t tell you who they are but they are good players.
“I think there’s a really good chance of promotion and I’d like to be part of it. The facilities are first-class, which should be a pull for any player.”
The Scotland international Jordan Rhodes has been heavily linked with a switch to Teesside, but Blackburn’s valuation of the player – believed to be around £12m – has proved problematic to previous suitors.