Pogatetz and Grounds will be part of the Boro squad that flies to Spain tomorrow ahead of a week-long training camp in La Manga. First-team coach Gary McAllister and goalkeeping coach Jim Blyth will also travel after being officially confirmed in their new roles yesterday.
Riggott had also been offered a place on the plane, but the 29-year-old has informed Strachan he will be leaving Boro when his contract officially expires at the end of next month.
The defender has made 152 appearances since moving to the Riverside in a £2m transfer from Derby in January 2003.
However, a succession of injury problems restricted him to just four Championship starts last season, and with Boro's contract offer understood to entail a significant reduction on his previous deal, he has opted to look elsewhere.
Chris is going to move on,
confirmed Strachan. I spoke to him the other night, and he wants to change his whole life really in terms of club and the area of the country he lives in.
I gave him the option of thinking about it a bit longer because I've enjoyed his company and value his experience.
He's had a rough time with injuries and needs to play regularly, but he's decided to move away and continue his career somewhere else.
I thanked him for his participation while I was here, and I'm sure the club would also want to thank him for what he's done previously. I just hope he gets over his injuries now and starts to enjoy football again because he's got plenty left in him.
Like Riggott, Pogatetz and Grounds are also due to become free agents at the end of next month.
The duo have been involved in a number of discussions since the end of last season, and Strachan intends to hold further talks during next week's meet-up in Spain.
The Scotsman is hoping both players will agree to remain at the Riverside, and has primed chief executive Keith Lamb to be ready to fly to La Manga in order to complete the technicalities of any deal.
I'm hopeful about Emanuel, said Strachan.
He's been very positive in what he's been saying and, when we get to La Manga, I intend to sit down with him and have a more detailed chat.
It's a nice time to be able to speak to both players.
Emanuel and Jonathan are both going over to Spain, and they're two players we would like to stay.
I'm looking forward to speaking to both of them in a more relaxed atmosphere to see what's going on. It gives me the chance to explain what their roles might be next year and what we expect of them.
I'm also hoping Keith will come out to speak to some of the lads whose futures are still uncertain.
Stephen McManus falls into that camp, and with his loan deal from Celtic not due to officially expire until the end of June, the centre-half will also be travelling to Spain.
Celtic are understood to be close to appointing Neil Lennon as their full-time boss, and the former midfielder is known to rate McManus highly.
However, with the situation at Parkhead still in a state of flux, Boro remain hopeful of completing a deal for the Scotland international.
Stephen is coming with us because he's still under contract here and he wants to keep fit, said Strachan. He had organised to go to New York with his wife on holiday, but the McManus family have decided that football is more important than New York.
That sums up what a real professional should be like.
We're trying our best to get good players who are mentally strong, and Stephen is certainly that.
McAllister will take charge of a number of sessions in La Manga, and having worked with Strachan at both Leeds and Coventry, the former Liverpool and Scotland midfielder took little persuading before agreeing to join the coaching staff at Rockliffe Park.
We had a successful spell as players in the same team at Leeds United, and I worked under Gordon at Coventry,
said McAllister.
We've been friends for a fair while, and I'm really excited about coming here because everything's in place for us to get better.
He's been my boss before and there's a respect there. I respect his thoughts on the game, and we had a good relationship as players, with a few arguments and fights along the way.
We're pretty similar in terms of our ethos and the way we think about the game.
Coventry have confirmed Aidy Boothroyd as their new manager, with the 39-year-old signing a three-year contract at the Ricoh Arena.
Colchester gave Boothroyd permission to speak to the Sky Blues this week and duly agreed compensation with the Championship club before negotiations had been completed.
But that deal has now been finalised and the former Watford boss has officially taken the reins from Chris Coleman, who was sacked just days after the end of the season after City finished 19th and endured a sorry late slump for the second campaign running.
Chairman Ray Ranson is hoping Boothroyd can follow his achievements at Vicarage Road and be the man to bring Barclays Premier League football back to Coventry.
Source: Northern Echo
Source: Northern Echo