Middlesbrough FC face big decisions with the 4 players set to leave the Riverside next year | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at the 4 Boro players whose contracts are set to expire in 2025, and debates the decisions the club should make...

Middlesbrough will be hoping that come the end of the 2024/25 season, Teesside will be toasting the return of Premier League football.

Promotion is evidently the aim for Michael Carrick's Boro side this season, as through multiple impressive transfer windows of recruitment and a firm 'not for sale' stance on their star assets, the club are clearly all-in on big success this term.

However, this campaign may well be a farewell tour at the Riverside Stadium for a number of players, as Boro's decision makers will always be looking for ways to balance the books.

Football League World takes a look at the four Middlesbrough players who are currently out of contract in 2025, and debates whether Boro should hand them a new deal, or send them on their way.

Jonny Howson

All good things have to come to an end at some point, and in the case of Jonny Howson and his time on Teesside, that could well be the case in 2025.

The 36-year-old evergreen club captain has been an integral part of Middlesbrough's side since his move from Norwich City back in July 2017, forging a legacy as a true cult icon at the Riverside over the last seven-and-a-half-years.

After making 43 appearances in all competitions for Boro last season, the former Leeds United academy graduate signed a further one-year extension back in May, to the delight of Middlesbrough supporters everywhere.

However, the combination of an injury-disrupted start to his season and the form of central midfield duo Hayden Hackney and Aidan Morris appears to have relegated Howson to a backup role in Carrick's side this year.

With his role in the squad from a playing-time perspective seemingly diminishing, compounded by the club being highly excited over the emerging central midfield talents from their academy, such as Law McCabe and Fin Cartwright, Howson could indeed be staring his Middlesbrough mortality in the face.

Leadership figures are always key components of a dressing room though, and that could be his saving grace when it comes to being offered a new deal. But, it may well be time to embrace the future at the Riverside.

As such, if Howson's injury problems persist throughout the season, it would perhaps be wise from a business perspective to call time on his fantastic Middlesbrough career.

Matt Clarke

Matt Clarke's Middlesbrough situation has become an increasingly difficult one in recent times.

The 28-year-old has undoubtedly been one of Boro's better players over the last 10 months or so since his return from a 14-month injury absence, but the loan signing of George Edmundson could make deciding what to do with Clarke more of a headscratcher than what it should perhaps be.

Edmundson has been a rock at the back since his move to the club this summer, and has made no secret that he's playing for a contract, and his performances so far this season will surely have Middlesbrough considering striking a permanent deal with Ipswich Town for him.

Clarke's contract is set to expire at the end of the season, but the club do have the option to extend his deal for a further 12 months should they wish. However, that would only buy Boro's decision makers time to consider whether to hand him a new deal.

With Rav van den Berg's long-term future far from certain given the level of reported interest in him, and perhaps some uncertainty over the futures of Dael Fry and Darragh Lenihan beyond this season, Boro should absolutely sign Clarke to a new contract.

Anfernee Dijksteel

Entering into the summer transfer window, it looked a fairly foregone conclusion that Middlesbrough would be saying their goodbyes to Anfernee Dijksteel after five years on Teesside.

After all, it was reported that Boro were hoping to sell the Suriname international over the summer window, but evidently, no suitable match was found.

However, they'll be grateful that they didn't, as the versatile defender has put in a series of impressive performances when called upon by Carrick so far this term.

The 28-year-old right-back has proven himself to be a valuable piece of squad depth so far this term, and with plenty of good years still ahead of him and relatively low miles in the tank given his lack of playing time in recent seasons, keeping him around long-term may well be a smart move to make.

His displays this term will no doubt have made him an attractive proposition in the shop window, and should Middlesbrough decide they want him to stay beyond 2025, they may need to act quickly before another club can seduce him in January.

Tommy Smith

Tommy Smith has become somewhat of a forgotten man at Middlesbrough, thanks in large part due to his Achilles injury that has sidelined him for over a year.

The 32-year-old veteran right-back was one of the first names on the teamsheet during the 2022/23 season, in which he made 40 appearances in all competitions for the club that season.

However, the presence of Luke Ayling and Dijksteel has seen him pushed to the fringes of the squad, and with time not on his side, both in his career and his Middlesbrough contract, he may not get the chance to show what he can still offer to Carrick this season.

As such, moving on from Smith is perhaps the right thing to do from a business standpoint, as his departure would open up a vital spot in the squad for a new addition to fill in a position of greater need.