Middlesbrough landed a blow in the battle for north-east regional supremacy yesterday when their new signing, Didier Digard, revealed he turned down a move to Newcastle United. The 21-year-old central midfielder, who cost Middlesbrough £7.2m from Paris St-Germain, joins the Dutch forward Marvin Emnes, 20, at the Riverside next season. He said: "I had the opportunity to go to other clubs - including Monaco, Newcastle United and Portsmouth - but I was very impressed by Gareth Southgate. This is a beautiful club. They give the youth a lot of chances to play, which gives me a chance to get more experience."