Tony Mowbray makes bold Middlesbrough promotion claim, they’re not ‘far away’ from Sunderland’s level

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Middlesbrough are facing a tricky summer transfer window, with the futures of multiple players and Michael Carrick extremely uncertain.

Many would have expected the Boro boss to have already lost his job at the Riverside Stadium following an extremely disappointing campaign, in which the club missed out on the play-offs thanks to a final day defeat to Coventry City at the CBS Arena.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
7	BlackburnBlackburn	46	19	9	18	53	48	5	66
8	MillwallMillwall	46	18	12	16	47	49	-2	66
9	West BromWest Brom	46	15	19	12	57	47	10	64
10	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	46	18	10	18	64	56	8	64
11	SwanseaSwansea	46	17	10	19	51	56	-5	61
12	Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday	46	15	13	18	60	69	-9	58
13	NorwichNorwich	46	14	15	17	71	68	3	57

However, there is yet to be any movement, and the former Manchester United midfielder is still in charge of the Teessiders heading into the transfer window, with it looking likely that Luke Ayling will leave this summer.

Plenty of new faces are needed at Middlesbrough ahead of the new Championship season starting, but Tony Mowbray has backed his former club to challenge at the top of the division if they do have a successful transfer window.

• READ MORE – Middlesbrough looking to tie down key man this summer, it could spell the end for Michael Carrick

Tony Mowbray claims that Middlesbrough can do what Sunderland did

With Sunderland securing their place in the Premier League next season through the play-offs, the second tier will feel a lonely place for Boro as their north-east rivals face each other in the top flight. However, ex-Middlesbrough and Black Cats manager, Mowbray, believes that Carrick can turn the club’s fortunes around next season, and push for promotion.

He said (via: The Red Radio): “I don’t feel as though Middlesbrough are that far away from competing at the level that Sunderland did this year. I’d say they’re only a player or two away. If they can have a really positive summer transfer market then I believe they will have a really strong season next year.

“The north-east should have three teams in the Premier League. It’s a real hotbed of football with so much emotion and passion. I think it’s important they’re all there because the games are all huge.

“It’s about the people, it’s about the supporters, it’s about the stadiums. There is nowhere more vibrant than the working-class areas of the UK.”

Mowbray concluded: “The north-east, Merseyside… These places are the hotbeds of football. I really hope everything aligns for Middlesbrough next season and they find themselves there, back in the Premier League.”

• READ MORE – EFL clubs ‘informed’ of major change to Transfer Deadline Day that ‘could cause myriad of problems’

Michael Carrick’s future will dictate Boro’s season

It has not been the year that many Boro supporters expected, and while they threatened the play-off spots, they never truly showed enough quality to push themselves into the top six for an extended period of time.

Early defeats to the likes of Derby County, who struggled under Paul Warne throughout the first half of the campaign, proved to be costly and next season Middlesbrough have to challenge from the off.

Sunderland have shown in 2024/25 that you do not have to be one of the early favourites to put yourself into contention for a place in the Premier League and the Teessiders must use their north-east rivals as an example as they prepare for another year in the Championship.