Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick is expected to sign a new contract at the Riverside Stadium before the start of next season, according to journalist Graeme Bailey.
The Manchester United legend landed his first permanent managerial role with the Teesside club in October 2022, taking over from Chris Wilder with the club languishing near the bottom of the Championship. He performed wonders, guiding the team into the play-offs, where they were knocked out at the semi-final stage by Coventry City.
The job he did in such a short period of time saw him linked with a number of Premier League clubs, although he remained in the North East. He appeared to be under pressure in the early stages of this season, especially when Boro hit the foot of the table early on, and they had to wait until late September to record their first win of the campaign.
That victory kickstarted a six-game winning streak, putting them on the fringes of the top six, although patchy form has kept them around the mid-table places ever since. However, due to the tight nature of the division this season, Carrick’s team sit eight points off the play-off places and can close that gap to just five if they can secure three points at struggling Birmingham City tonight.
More speculation has emerged in recent days that former club West Ham United are keen to bring their ex-midfielder back to the capital to replace David Moyes, who is coming under pressure from some sections of the fanbase. According to Bailey though, that is nothing more than rumour and he is still expected to commit his future to his current employers:
“He’s happy here (Middlesbrough),” the journalist told Boro News. “I don’t think particularly he’s on anyone’s list at the moment; he’s always linked to West Ham but my understanding is West Ham have got some bigger targets to replace Moyes at the moment.
“I think that’ll get done (new Middlesbrough contract for Carrick) before the start of next season.”
Reports of a potential new deal for Carrick surfaced earlier this month, with Teesside Live claiming that an agreement over a contract extension was close.
Writer’s View
It’s fair to say that Middlesbrough have perhaps underachieved this season, although they clearly have faith that Carrick is the man to help them reach their goal of returning to the Premier League.
With that said, it was a difficult summer transfer window and the former England international has had to contend with a depleted squad at stages throughout the season. He is considered one of the brightest young managers in the English game and tying him down to a new deal would protect his value.
