Michael Carrick may look to offload Middlesbrough FC player if AFC Bournemouth transfer is struck | OneFootball

The Boro boss may have a decision to make on the futures of two Middlesbrough goalkeepers if Mark Travers signs for the club this month.

Middlesbrough have been linked with a January loan move for AFC Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers.

Football Insider's transfer correspondent Pete O'Rourke revealed via his X account on 9 January that Boro are lining up a loan move for the 25-year-old Republic of Ireland international this month.

Teesside Live would confirm on 10 January that the Cherries shot-stopper is indeed a player that Middlesbrough possess an interest in, should they decide to strengthen their goalkeeping department.

It's understood that the Teessiders are assessing their options in-between the sticks, after the newly emerged starting keeper Sol Brynn suffered a dislocated shoulder injury on Boxing Day, and is not expected to return until the end of March.

This has left Seny Dieng and Tom Glover as Michael Carrick's remaining two senior options, but should Travers join Middlesbrough's goalkeeping ranks this month, the Boro boss may not wish to carry four registered goalkeepers into the second half of the season.

Seny Dieng may not wish to play a backup role for Middlesbrough

Having been Middlesbrough's starting goalkeeper throughout the 2023/24 season and throughout the opening few months of the 2024/25 campaign, Senegalese international Seny Dieng looked set for another term cemented as Carrick's first-choice option in goal.

However, due to a combination of injury and unconvincing performances, the 30-year-old was replaced by Brynn in late November. Boro's 24-year-old academy graduate put in some highly impressive displays in the festive period, before suffering his injury blow on Boxing Day.

But, Brynn's performances in the Middlesbrough goal have seen him largely win the support of the fanbase to reprise his starting role upon his return to fitness, as he looks to have the ability and potential to be the long-term answer at the goalkeeper position on Teesside.

Being at the stage of his career that he's now at, and for the sake of his international career too, the former Queens Park Rangers keeper may not have much of an interest playing second fiddle at the Riverside moving forward, whether that be behind Travers or Brynn.

Given his experience on the international stage and in the Championship, Middlesbrough would likely be able to bag a respectable fee for Dieng, who is contracted with the club until 2027.

If that is to be the case, then cashing in on him this month could be a decision welcomed by all parties should Travers arrive to fill his spot.

Tom Glover could face the prospect of being fourth-choice goalkeeper at Middlesbrough

A player who could find himself even further down the Middlesbrough pecking order should Travers arrive, Australian goalkeeper Tom Glover has been on the Riverside fringes for some time.

The 27-year-old arrived on a free transfer from Melbourne City in July 2023, and has seen his starting opportunities fairly limited ever since, and an unconvincing stretch of performances last season only further served to solidify Dieng's position at the top of the goalkeeping tree at the time.

With Dieng being sidelined with a hip problem since Brynn's injury, Glover has been the keeper whom Carrick has been forced to turn to. He has been able to keep two clean sheets from three Championship starts though, and appears to have potentially taken some strides towards improvement in his game.

However, he doesn't seem to have yet won the trust of large sections of the Middlesbrough fanbase, and as he moves into the prime years in a goalkeeper's career, the thought of perhaps falling to fourth-choice if Travers signs and Dieng/Brynn stay surely isn't one that he will fill him with excitement.

He could decide to stay put and fight for his position in the goalkeeping hierarchy, but with the club having a proven Championship goalkeeper on their radar, that may suggest that Boro's decision-makers feel they can get/would require better than the Australian in-between the sticks.

If so, a permanent exit may well be the best case scenario for all parties this month for Glover, who is contracted with Middlesbrough until the end of the 2025/26 season.