5 Michael Carrick replacements Middlesbrough must consider if Steve Gibson makes big sack decision | OneFootball

We looked at five managers that should be on Middlesbrough's radar if they decided to part company with head coach Michael Carrick.

Middlesbrough could soon be on the hunt for a new head coach amid uncertainty over the future of Michael Carrick.

Middlesbrough looked firmly on course to secure a play-off place when they sat as high as fifth in the table in late January, but a poor second half of the season saw them fall away from the top six, and they eventually finished in 10th place.

Speaking after the 2-0 defeat at Coventry City on the final day, Carrick insisted that he would be remaining in charge at the Riverside Stadium next season, and Boro chiefs have been conducting a thorough internal review of the events of the campaign over the past month.

It seems that the review may now be coming to a close, with Football Insider revealing that a final decision on Carrick's decision will be made over the course of the next week, and the 43-year-old's job is thought to be under "major threat".

With that in mind, we looked at five possible replacements Boro should consider if they opt to part company with Carrick.

Rob Edwards

Rob Edwards was first linked with Middlesbrough in October 2022 following the sacking of Chris Wilder, and according to journalist Alan Nixon, he still has admirers among the club's hierarchy.

Edwards has been out of work since leaving his role at Luton Town by mutual consent in January, and it is fair to say that he had a mixed spell in charge at Kenilworth Road.

The former Forest Green and Watford manager led the Hatters to promotion to the Premier League for the first time in their history in 2023, but their stay in the top flight proved to be a brief one as they were relegated after just one year in the division, and while his side were expected to be among the promotion contenders in the Championship last season, he left with the club sitting just outside the relegation zone.

Many Boro supporters may have reservations over the potential appointment of Edwards, particularly with Luton's infamous 5-1 defeat at the Riverside Stadium in November still fresh in their minds, but he has won promotion from the second tier before, and after a break from the game, he may return refreshed and with a point to prove.

Alex Neil

Should Middlesbrough decide to make a managerial change this summer, Nixon claims that Millwall boss Alex Neil could be another name in the frame for the job.

Neil took over at The Den in December with the Lions sitting in mid-table in the Championship, but he inspired an impressive upturn in form in the second half of the season, and his side only missed out on the play-off places on the final day of the campaign.

The 43-year-old has been a serial winner during his career, guiding Hamilton Academical, Norwich City and Sunderland to promotion, and while his spell at Stoke City did not go as well as he would have hoped, he has certainly rebuilt his reputation at Millwall in recent months.

Boro know all too well what Neil is capable of as his teams have inflicted plenty of misery on them over the years, and while the Lions would be reluctant to allow him to depart, he may be tempted to make the move to Teesside and work with greater financial resources.

Steve Cooper

Another name to have been linked with Middlesbrough in recent times is Steve Cooper, with the Welshman said to have been on owner Steve Gibson's radar in February as Carrick came under increasing pressure.

Cooper's last managerial role came in the Premier League with Leicester City, where he was sacked after winning just four of his 15 games in charge, but the Foxes were considerably more competitive under him than under his successor, Ruud van Nistelrooy, so he can arguably count himself unlucky to have been dismissed.

While Cooper's time at the King Power Stadium was underwhelming, the 45-year-old has an outstanding track record at Championship level, guiding Swansea City to two consecutive play-off finishes between 2019 and 2021 before leading Nottingham Forest to promotion in 2022, despite taking over when the club were sitting bottom of the table.

Cooper may feel that he has earned another opportunity to manage in the top flight, but if he is prepared to drop down to the second tier, the Riverside Stadium could be the perfect destination for him.

When things have not been going to plan for Middlesbrough, Gibson has not been afraid to turn to an experienced hand to steady the ship, with the likes of Tony Pulis, Neil Warnock and Wilder all having spells in charge of the club in recent years.

Should he decide to replace Carrick, Gibson may be keen to bring in a manager with a proven track record of success, which could make Sean Dyche the ideal candidate.

Dyche earned two promotions from the Championship during his near 10-year spell at Burnley, as well as consistently keeping the Clarets in the Premier League, while in his last managerial role, he also retained Everton's top flight status for two consecutive years, despite facing a host of off-field challenges at Goodison Park, as well as being hit with two points deductions.

Boro's ambition will not only be to win promotion, but they will also be looking to establish themselves back in the Premier League, and there may be nobody better placed to achieve that than Dyche.

Danny Rohl

If Middlesbrough are looking to appoint another young, up-and-coming manager after Carrick, they should look no further than Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl.

After spells as a coach with RB Leipzig, Southampton, Bayern Munich and the German national team, Rohl took over at Hillsborough in October 2023 at a time when the Owls sat bottom of the Championship table with just three points to their name, but he somehow managed to keep them in the division.

Rohl built on that miraculous achievement by guiding Wednesday to a 12th-placed finish last season, but he was involved in a bitter public dispute with owner Dejphon Chansiri during the January transfer window, and he is widely expected to leave the club this summer.

The 36-year-old has been linked with the likes of Leicester, Fulham, Crystal Palace, Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen in recent weeks, and while his options do currently appear to be running out, his desire to find a new club will no doubt have been strengthened by the Owls' ongoing off-field issues, with another delay to the payment of wages this month leading to the Owls and Chansiri being charged by the EFL.

While Wednesday are reportedly demanding a compensation fee of £5 million for Rohl, that figure is believed to reduce to just £2 million for Championship clubs, and Boro would likely have the financial capability to pay that amount to secure his services.