Roeder was disappointed that the club did not manage to sign Jonathan Woodgate, and said: “It was frustrating not to get him. But there were two considerations.
“One was his medical record, which suggested it would be tough for him to play lots of games. The other was his desire to play for his hometown team.
“The thing with Jonathan is, because of his injuries, you never know how long you will get before he breaks down again.”
Roeder added: “I saw a lot of Huth when I was in London, and I got glowing reports about him from players I am close to at Chelsea.
“Why did we not get Huth? There are reasons that are difficult for me to elaborate on, but he decided to join Middlesbrough.”
