Middlesbrough FC summer transfer plans emerge involving Mark Travers, Iheanacho & Ryan Giles | OneFootball

The 2024/25 campaign was an underwhelming one for Michael Carrick's side

After a disappointing conclusion to the 2024/25 campaign, fresh claims regarding Middlesbrough's summer transfer plans have emerged.

A report from the Northern Echo has outlined where Michael Carrick, along with the likes of head of football, Kieran Scott, are looking to make the necessary changes to the Boro squad after missing out on the play-offs for a second straight Championship season.

Despite boasting one of the strongest and most well-rounded squads in the second-tier, Carrick's side faltered massively at the worst possible point of the campaign, winning just one of their final six matches against eventually-relegated Plymouth Argyle on April 18th, as well as suffering crucial defeats against fellow top-six rivals Millwall and Coventry City in that timeframe.

As a result of such underperformance which culminated in a 10th-place finish, four points behind Bristol City, who secured their place in the top-six on the final day of the regular season, FLW exclusively revealed that the former Manchester United midfielder is under the threat of being sacked heading into his third full season at the Riverside Stadium.

But, whilst the 43-year-old's position in the dugout remains up in the air as owner Steve Gibson and the hierarchy continue to review proceedings, the club are looking to outline some of their transfer plans as swiftly as possible, as they look to end what will have been a nine-year exile from the Premier League at the conclusion of the 2025/26 campaign.

Middlesbrough FC's transfer plans become clearer including loanee talk

Throughout both transfer windows this season, Carrick has been backed heavily, with a plethora of high-quality and high-profile additions moving to Teesside.

This included the likes of Tommy Conway, Aidan Morris and Liverpool starlet, Ben Doak in the summer, before the initial £5m buy of Plymouth ace, Morgan Whittaker, alongside the loan acquisitions of Mark Travers, Samuel Iling-Junior, Kelechi Iheanacho and the return of Ryan Giles only intensified expectations when it came to securing a play-off berth.

Many believed that the temporary addition of Iheanacho from Sevilla could have been the short-term answer to Boro's £22.5m club-record sale of Emmanuel Latte Lath to Atlanta United.

But, whilst the Reds will make additions to the centre-forward department a strong priority in the off-season, the Northern Echo state that it would take a highly unlikely turn of events to unfold if any of the club's temporary winter additions were to sign permanently.

Travers has impressed on loan in what has been a difficult season for those between the sticks at the Riverside, although the report outlines that the Republic of Ireland shot-stopper is likely to receive more attractive offers as a potential permanent exit from AFC Bournemouth continues to be mooted for the 25-year-old.

Furthermore, the club are expected to strengthen at the heart of their defence after sanctioning Matt Clarke's exit to Derby County, as well as replacing the services of long-standing full-back Anfernee Dijksteel, who is expected to leave the club after six years of service.

Middlesbrough have to recruit strongly after January mishaps

Whilst much was expected of the aforementioned loan deals in particular, in which Travers and, to an extent, Iling-Junior - having played out of his natural position on several occasions - have emerged with the greatest of credit, they haven't paid off, and Boro can ill-afford a similar scenario to pan out heading into the summer.

Whilst Iheanacho didn't have the greatest impact during Leicester City's second-tier title-winning season under Enzo Maresca or the best of starts at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium following his summer move, a return of one goal and two assists in just 15 appearances, whilst earning the ESTIMATED highest wage in the division at £70,000 per week - although it's highly unlikely the majority of such a figure is being covered by the North East outfit - is a damning indictment of this season's recruitment policy for the most part.

It remains to be seen whether Carrick will still be overseeing matters come the start of pre-season, but links to the likes of Blackburn Rovers' attacking midfielder, Tyrhys Dolan, point towards a potential change in strategy and one which supporters can get behind.