The Teesside club have already turned down huge offers of at least £11million from Tottenham for Stewart Downing and £4.5million from Portsmouth for Gary O'Neil during the January transfer window.

Both players have been informed they will not be sold during the month under any circumstances, and Southgate has insisted nobody else will be leaving the Riverside this month either.

Southgate has told all the members of his squad they are required to fight to keep the club in the Premier League, and he claims "there is a better feeling around the place because of it".

The Boro boss said: "From the people running the club to the management and the coaches, we are all positive in believing that we should not sell our best players.

"We are not a club to make quick decisions. It would be easy to allow players to leave, but not as easy to use the money wisely at this time of year.

"The players have been informed of our position, and the response has been excellent.

"For example, Stewart Downing's last three performances have been outstanding. His contribution in training is second to none.

"Gary O'Neil is slightly different. He loves his football here but his family were a little unsettled. But we have talked to him and he understands exactly why we are taking this position.

"Gary was ill last weekend but has recovered and he will be back in our squad at West Brom on Saturday.

"I believe that I have good relationships with both players, and everybody else in the squad. We are in this together and we will fight it out together until the end of the season."

Boro have slipped from the top half of the table into a dangerous situation one point above the relegation zone as a result of a run of nine league games within a win.

Southgate believes the unsettling period began a few weeks before the transfer window opened because of the "activities of third parties", but insists the subject is now put to bed.

He said: "I believe that things will be a lot easier because people understand why we are doing what we have done.

"We know now what has been going on over the last six weeks and maybe it has proved unsettling in certain ways. It doesn't suddenly start when the transfer window opens.

"Now everyone is aware of what our chairman, Steve Gibson, has said and I think it will help to give us a better feeling going into matches.

"Yes, we could have taken the money but I honestly don't believe that we would have been able to replace outgoing players with anyone as good.

"It's difficult to attract players here. It could have placed us in a very awkward situation.

"What we have done is to let everybody know that we make the decisions and, once we have made them, that's how it is.

"I think we have done everything in the right manner and I think the reaction has been very good.

"Now we can concentrate on what is more important and that is working to our utmost every week in the Premier League.

"We know that we are in a difficult position but I believe that we have enough quality to pull well clear.

"We have to do it as a team, we have to do it together, and our only thought now is to try to win Saturday's game at West Brom."