Exclusive: Middlesbrough sent clear Premier League warning | OneFootball

Speaking exclusively with FLW, Don Goodman has been discussing whether Carrick's squad may need a vast overhaul should they win top flight football.

It's been a season of ups and downs on Teesside, but Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough side appear to be peaking at just the right time.

Boro had endured a run of five straight defeats between the late January-late February period, during which speculation was beginning to mount that Carrick could be on borrowed time at the Riverside Stadium.

However, a vital 3-1 away win over Stoke City on 25 February has been the catalyst for a play-off revival for Middlesbrough, and they now find themselves having lost just once in their last seven league games heading into Tuesday night's clash with Leeds United.

The mission statement on Teesside for 2024/25 was always to compete for promotion, with multiple strong transfer windows lining Carrick's squad with talented players at this level.

"With respect" - Don Goodman issues Middlesbrough, Premier League-ready claim

Speaking exclusively with Football League World, we asked Sky Sports pundit and former player, Don Goodman: 'Middlesbrough are firmly in the race for a play-off spot in the Championship. If they did manage to get promoted, do you think they have a squad capable of competing in the Premier League or would many signings need to be made?'

Goodman said: "The analysis of the last six teams to get promoted from the Championship, all came straight back down (Burnley, Sheffield United, Luton, Leicester City, Ipswich, Southampton)

"I would say at this stage, with respect to Middlesbrough, that all six of those teams would have been arguably better than this Middlesbrough squad that we have now.

"Maybe with the exception of Luton, who performed miracles. But, the other squads you would argue were better. So, Middlesbrough would have to literally rip their squad up, and invest an awful lot of money in an awful lot of players.

"One difficulty, obviously, would be convincing players to come and play in what undoubtedly would be a relegation campaign, fighting relegation. It's not an easy sell."

Middlesbrough would certainly need defensive overhaul if Premier League football is secured

Defensive issues and self-inflicted wounds have been plaguing Middlesbrough's season, and has largely prevented them from cementing themselves as a genuine promotion contender up until recent weeks.

Boro have left so many points on the table this term thanks to cheap goals being conceded and throwing away leads, although there has been signs that Carrick's side are finally learning their lesson.

Out of Middlesbrough's current crop of defenders, most Boro fans - if they were being honest - would struggle to definitively point towards many that they would feel totally confident deploying in the Premier League.

In truth, regardless of what division the Teessiders are plying their trade in next season, Boro's defensive unit looks set to undergo some major changes, but particularly should they reach the promised land.

Middlesbrough have been potent in attack this season, however, and if they were to go up and get their defensive recruitment right, then they could well be set to launch a far greater survival bid than many might expect them to in the Premier League.