Next Middlesbrough manager contenders

We take a look at the potential candidates to be the next manager of Middlesbrough after it was confirmed that the club have parted ways with Michael Carrick.

After a season that saw Boro finish 10th in the Championship and four points off a play-off place, Carrick will leave the club after three years in charge at the Riverside.

Here are some of the names who could be in with a chance of being the next man in the Middlesbrough hot seat.

Next Middlesbrough Manager Contenders

Rob Edwards

Rob Edwards famously guided Luton Town to a remarkable promotion to the Premier League but he was unable to keep the club up during the 2023/24 season.

A continuation of the club's poor form in the new season led to Edwards' dismissal and the club eventually suffered back-to-back relegations this season.

According to Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports, Boro are in "advanced talks" with Edwards over the managerial job, having "emerged as the leading candidate to succeed Michael Carrick."

Gary O'Neil

Gary O'Neil has been linked with a number of vacant Championship positions in recent weeks and he could be the man to replace Carrick in the Middlesbrough dugout.

The former Wolves boss has been out of work since December 2024 and has forged himself a solid reputation in his short managerial career thus far.

He has also worked with Liverpool's Under 23s and had a short stint at Bournemouth, before being surprisingly dismissed in the summer of 2023.

O'Neil also made over 100 appearances for Middlesbrough during his playing career after joining from Portsmouth in a £5 million deal.

Sean Dyche

When leaving Burnley for a second time in April 2022, Sean Dyche decided to bide his time and felt that he deserved to go straight back in at a Premier League club.

After reportedly turning down offers from more than one Championship club, Dyche joined Everton and his biggest achievement was keeping the club up on the final day of the 2022/23 season.

But his progress at Goodison Park was stifled amid growing financial restrictions and he was eventually relieved of his duties in January of this year.

The question is, does Dyche think he deserves to go back in again at the top level? More importantly, would a Premier League club consider him at this stage?

He has two Championship promotions on his CV and he would be quite a coup at the Riverside Stadium.

Steve Cooper

45-year-old manager Steve Cooper is a man with a point to prove.

The former England youth team and Swansea boss led Nottingham Forest back to the Premier League in May 2022 and pulled off the admirable feat of keeping them there the following season.

He was sacked in the December of that year and his subsequent role at Leicester City lasted just five months.

He is clearly a talented coach but his next managerial position could be his biggest decision yet.

Gerhard Struber

Former Barnsley manager Gerhard Struber last took charge of 1. FC Köln despite putting Die Geißböcke on the verge of Bundesliga promotion.

Spells with New York Red Bulls and RB Salzburg preceded his time in Germany but it was South Yorkshire where he carved out his reputation.

Struber guided a very inexperienced Barnsley squad to a Championship stay after taking charge with the club seven points adrift from safety.