Why Brian Barry-Murphy may fancy leaving Cardiff City for Middlesbrough | OneFootball

FLW has looked into why the Irishman may fancy swapping South Wales for the North East

Middlesbrough FC are now firmly in the hunt to find Rob Edwards' successor at the Riverside Stadium, with the 42-year-old departing the club in extremely controversial circumstances.

Edwards is expected to join the Premier League's rock-bottom side and his former club, Wolverhampton Wanderers, in the coming days after Middlesbrough finally granted him permission to speak with the West Midlands side after initially standing him down from Saturday's 2-1 success over Birmingham City.

Steve Gibson and Co. are now utilising the two-week international break to source their latest appointment with the Reds currently inside the Championship's automatic promotion places.

Despite local reports claiming a shortlist is yet to be drawn up, one of the early names linked with the vacancy is Cardiff City's newly-appointed head coach, Brian Barry-Murphy.

The Irishman was also instilled at the Cardiff City Stadium back in June, and after an impressive start to the League One campaign, finds himself in the running for the Middlesbrough and Celtic vacancies, according to a report from Alan Nixon on Sunday morning.

With that being said, Football League World have identified THREE clear reasons why the 47-year-old may also want to make a sudden move up the English pyramid.

Middlesbrough have a shot at promotion to the Premier League this season

The most obvious elephant in the room is that Middlesbrough have a strong chance of returning to the Premier League this season.

They have been an EFL club ever since the 2017/18 campaign after enduring a solitary relegation season under Aitor Karanka and Steve Agnew in the top-flight.

In what is a wide-open Championship, the Teesside outfit were able to take advantage of many inconsistencies and enjoy a record-breaking start under Edwards, although recent form had been rather mixed.

The recent 2-1 success over Birmingham, coupled with Stoke City's defeat to league-leading Coventry City, on Saturday, saw the Reds return to the automatic promotion places, having accumulated 29 points from the first 45 available.

It would remain to be seen if Barry-Murphy could continue such relatively strong form, but it is an ideal starting point for the former Leicester City assistant, who is yet to take up a full-time managerial position higher than League One.

As seen with his current exploits at the CCS, Barry-Murphy has been able to mould a new-look squad full of exciting talents that fit his style of play, which sees the Bluebirds build their way through the pitch.

Michael Carrick implemented a similar style at the Riverside, albeit his final two seasons saw Middlesbrough unable to emulate a top-six finish which was achieved in 2022/23 with plenty of dynamic and energetic talents across the pitch.

It's fair to say that many figures within the Boro ranks would be capable of fulfilling such methods, as well as Barry-Murphy having senior players to call upon such as Luke Ayling and Matt Targett.

However, it is Hayden Hackney who continues to steal the show on his native Teesside, and whilst he may not be able to utilise his services for much longer due to impressive form and well-documented Premier League interest, it is a predicament which could excite the Cardiff boss.

Another potential reason is the finances and backing which Gibson is known to give those in the Riverside hotseat in a bid to end Boro's aforementioned top-flight exile.

As such, it could see some of Cardiff's top-performing stars follow Barry-Murphy's lead to the North East in January, should he be attracted to the job himself.

Sometimes, there are agreements put in place in which a manager cannot sign players from his former employers at a new club for a period of time, but the likes of Rubin Colwill could emerge as transfer targets in this scenario, particularly if Hackney was to leave Middlesbrough in January.

The Cardiff playmaker previously earned rave reviews in the Championship, showcasing that he wouldn't look out of place, and has only continued his upward trajectory under the previous Manchester City academy figure, scoring four times and posting a further five assists in 19 appearances across all competitions thus far.