Chelsea coach linked with vacant Middlesbrough job | OneFootball

Chelsea coach Anthony Barry has been linked with the vacant Middlesbrough job, according to The Northern Echo.

The Championship club are searching for a manager after sacking Chris Wilder on Monday on the back of a poor start to the 2022/23 campaign, which has them in the bottom three after 11 games.

There are suggestions that Boro owner Steve Gibson wants to name a replacement before the weekend and a host of names have been linked with the job – with ex-Watford boss Rob Edwards seemingly the frontrunner.

Among them is Barry, with The Northern Echo touting him as a potential candidate.

It would be the 36-year-old’s first step into management but he does have experience as both a player and a coach.

He is a current first-team coach at Chelsea and Belgium but has worked in the EFL before – spending three years as one of Paul Cook’s assistants at Wigan Athletic.

Barry was also linked with the Huddersfield Town job before the Terriers appointed Mark Fotheringham earlier in the season but reports suggested he was ready to snub their offer as he wanted to go to the World Cup with Belgium.

Quiz: Did Middlesbrough win, draw or lose the last time they played at these 18 stadiums?

1 of 18

Oakwell

Win Draw Loss

The Verdict

It seems just as Championship rivals Huddersfield were, Boro are taking a keen interest in Barry as they search for a new manager but with the World Cup on the horizon, they’re likely to face the same obstacles the Terriers did.

Boro would be making a big call offering the Chelsea and Belgium coach his first job in management but the links over the past month show how highly rated the 36-year-old is.

It remains to be seen whether a job the size of Middlesbrough could change Barry’s mind concerning the World Cup but there are some fantastic other options out there.

Edwards deserves another shot at the Championship after his sacking at Watford and is thought to be high on the list of candidates.