Middlesbrough FC can save millions during this summer's rebuild with Rockliffe Park decision | OneFootball

Middlesbrough's Category 1 academy is one of the most well-respected in English football - now might be the perfect time for Boro to lean on it.

Middlesbrough's academy is one of the most widely respected in English football, and Boro could use it to their advantage next season.

The Teessiders proudly boast a Category 1 academy system - the highest possible rank a club can obtain.

Middlesbrough are part of an exclusive group of English football clubs who can say that, with well over 100 Boro academy graduates having represented the club at first-team level.

Chris Brunt, David Wheater, Stewart Downing, James Morrison, and more recently the likes of Djed Spence, Marcus Tavernier, Ben Gibson, Isaiah Jones and Hayden Hackney have all been products of Middlesbrough's Rockliffe Park-based academy production line.

Middlesbrough are heading for another major rebuild this summer

With Boro's clear remit in 2024/25 being to win promotion to the Premier League, a 10th-placed finish marked an obvious failure of a campaign for Michael Carrick's side.

Significant fees were spent on acquiring the likes of Morgan Whittaker, Tommy Conway, Aidan Morris, Neto Borges and Delano Burgzorg respectively.

Middlesbrough were also able to attract a number of Premier League players to join the club on loan, with Ben Doak, George Edmundson (later became permanent), Mark Travers and Samuel Iling-Junior all arriving from various top flight clubs.

In short, Carrick had once again been significantly backed by chairman and owner Steve Gibson, who as a Smoggie himself and lifelong fan of the club, remains as hungry as ever to see his beloved Boro back in the big time.

However, in a season littered with self-inflicted wounds, defensive mishaps, and inconsistent performances, Boro's rather soft-centred side offered little for Teessiders to get behind or excited about.

As such, with the aforementioned loanees returning to parent clubs, with interest sure to arrive in the likes of Hackney and Rav van den Berg, and with a general need to strengthen certain areas of the pitch, Middlesbrough appear set for another busy summer of ins and outs at the Riverside Stadium.

Now may be the time for Middlesbrough to lean on their academy - it could save them millions

Luckily for Middlesbrough, however, it appears they could be in the midst of a real golden era of homegrown talent on Teesside.

Goalkeeper Sol Brynn, defenders George McCormick, Nathan Simpson and Harley Hunt, midfielder Law McCabe and striker Sonny Finch all made competitive appearances for Boro's first-team squad in 2024/25.

Meanwhile, Shea Connor, Fin Cartwright, Charlie Lennon, Anton Palmer, Bailey Palmer and Josh Dede have all been involved in Championship matchday squads this past season.

Boro have a host of other youngsters on their books that the club are excited about, with youth internationals littering Middlesbrough's academy teams across multiple levels.

In recent weeks, the club also signed youngsters Prince Acheampong and Oliver Samuels to professional contracts, further highlighting the good work being done in that department of the football club.

Middlesbrough have a number of homegrown talents that have either broken into, or are on the verge of making the step-up to first-team football at the Riverside Stadium, and that shouldn't be overlooked when it comes to the club's summer transfer plans.

Boro could save money on the signing of a goalkeeper in the shape of Brynn, at right-back in the form of Dede, in central midfield with the likes of McCabe and Cartwright, and potentially in attack with players such as Finch, or perhaps highly-rated forward Hazeem Bakre.

Given there is a clear feeling of apathy towards Middlesbrough's team from Boro supporters at this moment in time, seeing an injection of the club's own youth talent into the first-team picture next term may not only act as a shot in the arm for Teessiders, but it could be a highly shrewd business decision too.