Middlesbrough are interviewing a number of potential contenders to succeed Michael Carrick at the Riverside Stadium. It is stated that the club has received a large number of applications to become Middlesbrough’s new manager, with Boro also thought to be examining some quality candidates from coaches overseas.
As a result, the race for the Riverside hotseat appears to be wide open, with runners and riders from both home and abroad looking to have a good chance.
Middlesbrough’s stance towards Marti Cifuentes and Steven Gerrard revealed
Marti Cifuentes and Steven Gerrard are just two of many names associated with the Middlesbrough position. Starting with the former, Cifuentes has been effectively out of work since being placed on gardening leave by QPR in late April, just before their final game of the 2024-25 season.
At the time, the Spaniard was heavily associated with replacing Tony Mowbray at West Brom, but it was later discovered that he was not on the Baggies’ shortlist, and they have since hired former Tottenham coach Ryan Mason.
Gerrard, 45, has been out of work since leaving Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq in late January, following 18 months in charge. The Liverpool and England icon was installed as the new bookies’ favourite to become the new Boro manager earlier this week, but a subsequent revelation will see both his and Cifuentes’ odds fall.
That is because, according to a report in The Northern Echo on Monday, June 9, neither Gerrard nor Cifuentes are being considered as Middlesbrough’s new head coach.
Middlesbrough has better choices than Steven Gerrard and Marti Cifuentes.
Despite spending the last eight seasons in the Championship, Middlesbrough’s intentions to return to the Premier League have never wavered. Boro’s team is stacked with good players who are highly marketable commodities, thanks to some excellent additions in recent windows and the development of some exceptional academy stars such as Hayden Hackney and Sol Brynn.
With substantial profits made from the recent sales of Morgan Rogers and Emmanuel Latte Lath, the Teessiders appear to be in possibly their best financial situation since being relegated from the top flight in 2017.
However, club owner and chairman Steve Gibson will be well aware of the dangers of turning over the keys to the war chest to the wrong person, as was the case in the summer of 2017 when Garry Monk spent a lot of money on players who didn’t live up to the hype.
As a result, with Boro preparing for another summer transfer window of major investment in the playing team, Gibson must appoint a manager he can completely trust to use transfer funds properly, and who may even have experience gaining promotion from the Championship.
| Gerrard & Cifuentes’ record from most recent managerial roles – per Transfermarkt | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Games | Wins | Draws | Defeats | Points per game |
| Steven Gerrard | Al-Ettifaq | 55 | 19 | 16 | 20 | 1.33 |
| Marti Cifuentes | QPR | 83 | ||||
Candidates like Steve Cooper and Rob Edwards would fit many of those criteria, although Gerrard and Cifuentes might not.
While Gerrard has won the Scottish Premiership with Rangers and has managed in the Premier League with Aston Villa, it is fair to argue that he has yet to recreate his early managerial successes in Glasgow since leaving Ibrox in 2021.
Under the conditions at Loftus Road, Cifuentes has done an adequate job since taking over as QPR manager in October 2023, but he lacks experience in English football contending for promotion.
As a result, both Cifuentes and Gerrard’s hiring would have some clear large risk factors, and Middlesbrough could easily find more proven, safer, and experienced candidates to give over the keys this summer.
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