Our Middlesbrough fan panel takes a deeper look at Mark Travers’ stance.
Don Goodman said this week that Middlesbrough should attempt to re-sign Mark Travers this summer, but the club is said to take a different position.
Despite their love for the Ireland international custodian following his superb loan spell on Teesside in the second half of last season, it is currently understood that Travers will not return to Boro next season. While Boro will continuously evaluate the situation, a Travers comeback is currently unlikely.
That’s because Boro have been warned that signing Travers from Bournemouth this summer will consume a significant portion of their transfer budget, while the wages offered by other interested parties make it a pricey transaction for Boro.
In a summer with several focusses for strengthening, Sol Brynn’s return from injury means custodian is not an area they want to spend a lot of money on.
Is that the correct decision? Are they correct in allocating resources to other sections of the team and relying on academy graduate Brynn for leadership? That’s the question we posed to our fan panel this week, which included YouTube analyst Phil Spencer, Boro Breakdown co-host Dana Malt, Boropolis co-founder Chris Cassidy, and Twe12th Man member Stephen Jackson.
Stephen Jackson
This is a difficult topic to answer because I both agree and disagree with the club’s position on this. I believe that bringing in Mark Travers will be a smart financial decision, as he was beneficial near the conclusion of the season. However, the club and Michael Carrick have emphasised that they believe in giving young players an opportunity, and Sol Brynn was excellent prior to his sad injury.
So, in my opinion, Brynn deserves to be given the opportunity. However, we cannot bring anyone else in until Seny Dieng’s future has been settled. Still, a custodian is not a priority; instead, a second striker to support Conway, one with some pace, must be brought in or we will struggle to escape this level once more!
Phil Spencer
Mark Travers would be a really valuable signing for Middlesbrough, and we should not be hesitant to spend money on him. Sol Brynn looked well last season, but there is a lot of expectation on him to become a top Championship custodian, which is what we genuinely need to get promoted.
For too many seasons, our custodian has been a major discussion topic owing to his often unpredictable performances (I’m looking at you, Joe Lumley, Zack Steffen, and Seny Dieng!) When Travers arrived, it was really pleasant because, for once, I didn’t feel nervous when the ball came near him, and I could relax knowing that he was ‘a safe pair of hands’. That cannot be understated.
Boro have larger fish to fry in the transfer market this summer, but a top-level custodian who is solid and trustworthy may have a significant impact, especially as we aim to create a stronger spine and defensive philosophy throughout the club. Travers will not be in Bournemouth’s plans next season, so he will be available; the question is how much it will cost to sign him.
For my part, I’d be fine if we spent £5 million or £6 million to bring him in, but anything more would definitely be extravagant. In terms of salary, he’ll be on a reasonable package right now, but he’d be worth a major investment – but we don’t want to enter into a silly bidding war with teams with parachute payouts or teams like Birmingham/Wrexham, who will spend heavily.
I believe Middlesbrough should push hard to get Travers back on a permanent basis, but it will be up to Kieran Scott to exercise his common sense and recognise when to walk away from negotiations and look elsewhere.
Chris Cassidy It’s unfortunate that Mark Travers will most likely not be in goal for Middlesbrough next season, but it makes sense for the club not to prioritise re-signing him since the amount will significantly reduce Boro’s summer budget.
The Ireland international was unquestionably the standout of a disappointing January window. His performances attracted similarities to Darren Randolph, Boro’s greatest custodian since their relegation. Unfortunately, Middlesbrough isn’t in the same financial position as when they paid a reported £5 million for that particular Irish custodian in 2017.
Middlesbrough have more important worries right now, and with Sol Brynn back from injury, they could already have their number one ready for next season and beyond. There were few complaints during Brynn’s time with the team before being forced off against Sheffield Wednesday on Boxing Day.
In a different universe, Boro may not have signed Travers in January. As previously stated, there were no reservations about Brynn’s performance inside the squad. If the 24-year-old had avoided injury, there would have been no need to recruit another custodian. However, given Seny Dieng’s long-term injury and Tom Glover’s contract predicament, I’d want to see the team get some competition for Brynn.
Dana Malt
I believe Boro should prioritise re-signing him. We know how good a custodian he is based on his second-half performances this season. His contributions made me wonder where Boro would have finished if we had him from the beginning.
The club should understand the consequences of having a subpar custodian. They had Seny Dieng and Tom Glover this season. They had Joe Lumley in 2022/23. And they have Marcus Bettinelli and Jordan Archer in 2021/22.
Boro must shift the balance from ‘bad custodian costing points’ to ‘excellent custodian gaining points’. Mark Travers would be a great signing to assist Boro achieve this, but I recognise that we already have a decent goalkeeper in Sol Brynn.
Brynn is highly regarded in the club, according to my understanding. I enjoyed his performances this season and would be happy to see him given a chance. But if there’s even a chance of getting Mark Travers back, I’d love to see that happen.
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