Middlesbrough have signed former Manchester City forward Alvaro Negredo on a season-long loan from Valencia. Austin Meadows Jersey . Negredo, 30, becomes Boros eighth summer signing, following Viktor Fischer, Victor Valdes, Antonio Barragan, Marten de Roon, Gaston Ramirez, Bernardo Espinosa and Jordan McGhee to the Riverside Stadium. Sky Sports Fantasy Football Pick your team here and let the mind games begin! The player has joined Aitor Karankas squad in Marbella for their pre-season training camp and will return to the Premier League after a short spell with Manchester City. City paid £20m to sign the Spain international from Sevilla in 2013, but he made only 30 league appearances - scoring nine goals - before he was loaned and then subsequently sold to Valencia for £19m last summer. Negredo is Boros eighth summer signing He has scored 10 league goals in 55 appearances for Valencia over the past two seasons but was known to be keen on a return to England.However, Middlesbroughs pursuit of Borussia Dortmund defender Neven Subotic has broken down, according to Sky sources. Neven Subotics Middlesbrough move has broken down, according to Sky sources Boro had agreed a fee of around £8m with the Bundesliga club and the Serbia international visited the north Yorkshire clubs facilities earlier this month.Boro boss Aitor Karanka was hoping Subotic would travel to Spain to join up with his squad, but that is not now expected to happen. Also See: Leadbitter to miss season start Whos travelling the furthest What do Middlesbrough need? Negredos FFP exit from City Francisco Cervelli Jersey .What they got was a bevy of players chipping in to pick up the slack.Josh Smith scored 18 points and James Harden added 17 as the Rockets used a balanced scoring effort to outlast the Mavericks for a 99-94 victory. Custom Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys .J. -- Omar Cummings helped the Houston Dynamo advance to the MLS Eastern Conference finals. http://www.piratesrookiestore.com/Pirates-Jung-Ho-Kang-Kids-Jersey/ . Julien coached the Bruins to the Stanley Cup championship in 2010-11 and is the longest serving coach in consecutive seasons in the teams history. Claude is one of the top coaches in the NHL and has consistently shown a passion for winning, general manager Peter Chiarelli said Sunday in announcing the signing.TORONTO – For the past two weeks, Cody Franson was living the life of a Ryerson Ram. Two-hour skates, five times a week at the Mattamy Athletic Centre on the campus of the university in downtown Toronto. Early on Thursday morning, Franson swung by his temporary training camp home, grabbed his sticks and gear, completed a physical and by 11am had joined his NHL teammates at practice. The 26-year-old agreed to a one-year deal with the Leafs worth $2 million late on Wednesday evening, ending a difficult and lengthy negotiation. "Im glad its done," said a gleeful Franson, following the nearly two-hour on-ice session. "Its a process nobody really wants to go through. Fortunately, we were able to find a common ground and get it done before the regular season started." With his contract status finally settled, Franson will shift his focus toward demonstrating that a terrific sampling in 48 games last season – sixth among NHL defenders in points – was just a harbinger of things to come; prove his viability to the organization with another good year. The Leafs certainly believe in that potential, but want to see it demonstrated over the course of another 82 games. If proved right, theyll happily commit to the B.C. native for the long-term. "The second you get complacent is the second you make a mistake," Franson said of taking the next step. "I learned that firsthand my first year [in Toronto], coming in a little comfortable. I got put in the press box because of it. Ill never make that mistake twice." Franson proved increasingly valuable to the Leafs as the 2013 calendar wore on. A late addition to training camp – following a similarly stunted negotiation that was solved hours after the lockout ended – he started the year with minimal ice-time, drawing about 14 minutes nightly in January, before emerging with upwards of 22 minutes a few months later in April. It was a demonstration which suggested he was capable of becoming a dependable top-4 NHL defender, both in the present and in the future. "When you get people that are developing and [having] more of an impact on your blue-line, you have to credit the player with that," Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said of Franson, who found a partner in Mark Fraser five games into the season. "Hes the one that earned it." Not only did his offensive incline come to the forefront, but he also made adjustments defensively, aligning with the Carlyle way with a more assertive and aggressive defensive lean. "What he did is he committed more to a physical game which allowed him a little bit more space," Carlyle said of the 6-5 defender, adding that Franson, as a right-hand shot, was increasingly valuable on a defence chock-full of lefties. Realizing more of that potential, through continued growth defensively and sustained success offensively, will be the challenge of the coming year. As can often be the case in restricted free agency, Franson was stung by the process, believing that he deserved more than the organization chose to offer in negotiations throughout the summer. But with the cap falling to $64 million this season, he also came to understand that the annual number he sought over a longer term was not going to be realized, thus his insistence on a one-year deal with more to come down the line. The two sides found "middle ground" at the final pressure point (arbitration and the start of training camp flying by with no movementt) when the club moved on the term of the deal – they strongly preferred two years – and Franson budged by accepting an annual number below market value. Adam Frazier Jersey. . "I think both sides gave in a little bit," said Leafs assistant general manager Claude Loiselle. By following up on his breakthrough year with more of the same this season, Franson has his sights on a bigger payday next summer – the Leafs have 12 players in a similar boat, their contracts expiring after the coming season – though he will again remain a restricted free agent, albeit with arbitration rights. "One year was important to us," he told TSN.ca via text message early Thursday morning. "With the current cap situation, a two-year deal was very difficult to get at what we felt was fair. "A one-year [deal] was the most reasonable way for us to find a middle ground." Achieving that middle ground was not without its frustrations, both for the player and the organization. Easier said than done is not absorbing the negotiation as a personal afront, something Franson had his trouble with it as the process lingered. Ending his dispute with the Leafs shortly before training camp was due to begin, Nazem Kadri could sympathize with the struggle. "Its hard to [not take it personally] because when youre negotiating your deals, youve got to look at numbers and youve got to have comparisons and sometimes you may not like the comparisons, but the numbers match up," Kadri told TSN.ca. "Its just business really. Thats what Ive learned. I know it can maybe turn into a personal issue, but normally the player is just looking out for whats best for him and the team is looking out for whats best for them. Everyone just wants to make a deal in the end." "At the end of it, you sit back and you look at it and you realize its just business," Franson reflected. "Theyve got a job to do and that is to try and make everything work [under the cap]. I understand that. This is where I want to be. This is my dream place to play. Im hopeful that its a long-term deal coming up after this." For now, with Franson finally locked up, the Leafs find themselves in a cap squeeze, the roster requiring some carving and a degree of sculpting before opening day next week. Almost certainly, they will not be able to carry the roster maximum of 23 players, hurt by the 10-game suspension to David Clarkson and the uncertain status of Frazer McLaren, who could be placed on long-term injured reserve (finger injury) to offer a little wiggle room. "Its still the same situation as if Cody had signed at the beginning of camp," Loiselle said. "Were still evaluating. We still have two games left and well see how it shakes out." Paired with Fraser throughout his first practice – Jake Gardiner remains an option additionally as a partner, the two paired together late in the playoffs – Franson will likely play in both of the remaining exhibition games this weekend, a home and home set with Detroit. Though he enjoyed a brief and albeit unwanted experience at Ryerson, Franson was just pleased to be back in the routine of his NHL life, ready to take the next step forward – both personally and with his team. "I love being here in Toronto," he concluded. "This is where I want to be and thats the main reason why everything happened. Im happy its done and looking forward to getting going." ' ' '