The Teessiders this week released a statement insisting that none of their senior players would be sold this month after rejecting England winger Stewart Downing's transfer request.

The 24-year-old asked for a move after Boro turned down two bids from Tottenham, while they have also told Portsmouth to forget about trying to take Gary O'Neil back to Fratton Park after rebuffing a £4.5million offer.

Writing in his programme notes for today's Barclays Premier League clash with derby rivals Sunderland, Lamb said: "My view is that the January transfer window is not in the best interests of football, a belief that I know is shared by [manager] Gareth [Southgate].

"We would both prefer that is wasn't part of the game.

"The window unsettles otherwise happy players, puts undue pressure on chairmen, managers and chief executives and raises unrealistic expectancy among supporters.

"As far as I can see, the only beneficiaries are the media, who spend hour after hour, day after day writing and talking about pure speculation that rarely amounts to anything, and agents, who see January as an opportunity to move their clients and make their money."