After the news broke of Michael Carrick’s departure from Middlesbrough, several managers have instantly been linked with the job at the Riverside Stadium. One potentially surprising inclusion to these talks is current Sweden boss, John Dahl Tomasson.
Tomasson, who recently endured a one-and-a-half year spell with Blackburn Rovers in the Championship, has held the role as the Swedish national team’s manager since February 2024. Carrick’s sacking by Boro has opened up a potential return to the second tier according to talkSport.
Sweden’s most recent performances have been polar opposites to each other, with March results bringing a 1-0 defeat to Luxembourg followed by a 5-1 decimation of Northern Ireland on home soil. The 48-year-old has accumulated seven wins with the Blågult and finished first in the National League C Group 1, enjoying exceptional performances from Viktor Gyökeres in particular.
Questions Of Middlesbrough Attraction
With the former AC Milan player’s contract set to run out in March 2026, a long-term future with Sweden is still resting on next campaign’s World Cup qualification run. However, with this emergent report of Tomasson’s Boro shortlist inclusion, the ex-Blackburn manager has provided his cryptic stance on this link:
“You can never guarantee anything in football. There are always rumours about things in football. I have a contract with Sweden, I am very happy to be here. But my contract is not important.
The 48-year-old repeated his initial statement to the media, emphasising the notion that:
“You can never guarantee anything in football. There are a lot of rumours in the business. Rumours are rumours. I can’t make any guarantees but I’m very happy here. I’ve said it several times. I’m enjoying being here. I have a fantastic relationship with the federation and they’re very happy with our performance so far. Rumours are rumours. It’s part of the game.”
After being asked if the Middlesbrough job was an attractive possibility compared to the Swedish role, Tomasson responded frustratedly – which is understandable due to the sheer volume of questions directed towards a vacancy that does not currently involve him:
“For me? To be honest, we’ve spent a lot of time on this now. We’re playing a game tomorrow. I’m here with the team. Haven’t we spent enough time on a question like this? I think so.”
Writer’s View
To put it plainly, there is an indication that Tomasson would be open to the Boro job but he equally remains content in the Swedish national role. Considering the talent at his disposal in the international sphere, it would not be frowned upon if the experienced manager decided to stay with the Nordic side.
A bombardment of unrelated questions before his national side’s upcoming endeavours has resulted in understandable annoyance from the Danish manager and an inevitably unclear answer regarding the Middlesbrough vacany.
