The summer transfer window is set to be an incredibly important one for Middlesbrough.
Once the dust settled on the 2024/25 campaign, the club’s hierarchy decided it was time to make a change.
Michael Carrick, after just under three full seasons as head coach, was relieved of his duties after an end-of-season review.
Middlesbrough are among the Championship’s sleeping giants but escaping the second tier has proven incredibly difficult.
Middlesbrough have important transfer business to conduct this summer.placeholder image
Middlesbrough have important transfer business to conduct this summer. | George Wood/Getty Images
They have not reached the play-offs in each of the last two seasons and recruitment was certainly an issue last season.
Kelechi Iheanacho, for example, misfired after being signed on loan as a replacement for key marksman Emmanuel Latte Lath.
Ryan Giles was billed as a marquee addition to the Middlesbrough ranks, but it did not work out for the adventurous wing-back.
There will plenty of scrutiny on Middlesbrough’s activity this summer, with fans hoping shrewd signings can aid a serious promotion push.
AI has been tasked with predicting who Middlesbrough will sign this summer - and here are the players it came up with.
Loanee left-back joins from Manchester City
AI has tipped Middlesbrough to take Manchester City defender Josh Wilson-Esbrand on loan. A left-back by trade, the 22-year-old ended last season in Stoke City’s ranks.
A former England youth international, Wilson-Esbrand evidently has quality but settling has proven difficult for him.
He is yet to pass the 15-appearance mark for any of the clubs that have borrowed his services, therefore a full-season in one place could prove beneficial.
Josh Wilson-Esbrand has been unable to make a first-team breakthrough at Manchester City.placeholder image
Josh Wilson-Esbrand has been unable to make a first-team breakthrough at Manchester City. | Rich Storry/Getty Images
Young midfielder joins from Tottenham Hotspur
An England under-20 international, Devine is ironically the type of player you could imagine thriving under Carrick’s tutelage.
A fee of £2.5m has been mooted for the midfielder, which would arguably be a bargain given his seemingly high ceiling.
Winger makes loan switch from Napoli
Jesper Lindstrom’s season on loan at Everton from Napoli did not quite work out, but he would still arguably be quite the coup for a Championship club.
AI has suggested the Denmark international could head to the Riverside on loan in search of regular minutes on the flank.
The move would mark the 25-year-old’s first to a division that is not on the top rung of its country’s ladder.
Chelsea prodigy makes temporary move
Middlesbrough are going to utilise the loan market quite heavily, AI has predicted. Marc Guiu, a young forward signed by Chelsea from Barcelona last year, has been mooted as a potential signing.
The 19-year-old has only managed a handful of senior outings in the Premier League but is evidently a player with potential.
He penned a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge last year and has been linked with Ipswich Town.
Marc Guiu featured for Chelsea in the UEFA Conference League last season.placeholder image
Marc Guiu featured for Chelsea in the UEFA Conference League last season. | Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
£5m forward arrives
Guiu is not the only forward AI has tipped to join Middlesbrough, with a £5m move for David Strelec supposedly a possibility.
The 24-year-old plies his trade in his native Slovakia with Slovan Bratislava and has been prolific in front of goal for the club.
Middlesbrough have previously been linked with a move for the marksman and AI believes a switch could materialise.