Middlesbrough: Tommy Conway drops "big" Michael Carrick transfer claim | OneFootball

Tommy Conway has claimed that having Michael Carrick as manager plays a huge part in players' decisions to join Middlsbrough

With the January window fast approaching, and Middlesbrough in the ascendancy, Tommy Conway has claimed that Michael Carrick was a "big" factor in his move to the North East.

A legend of the Premier League and Sir Alex Ferguson era, Carrick had a fantastic playing career, and although being a great player doesn't necessarily mean you're guaranteed to be a good coach, it does play a huge part in getting players to come and play for you.

That could be more pertinent than ever this January, with Boro firmly in the promotion shake-up, but they'll be keen to ensure they don't replicate their end-of-season shortcomings across the last two campaigns.

Carrick is now in his third season in charge at Boro, and although they're faring much better than when he took over at The Riverside, another failed promotion tilt this season will have the Riverside faithful wondering whether it will ever work out.

Adding some fresh faces in the January window would undoubtedly help boost their push, and Conway believes that Carrick is the perfect man to attract players to come and play.

Carrick's influence was key in Conway's signing

Boro spent in the region of £4.5m over the summer to bring Conway to Teesside, beating off stiff competition from promotion rivals Burnley to land the in-demand frontman.

Beating off competition from a freshly-relegated club who have spent chunks of the last decade in the Premier League hints just how much pull they now have in the market.

They endured a busy summer window, recruiting lots of young talent like Micah Hamilton from Manchester City, Ben Doak from Liverpool, and Ipswich Town's George Edmundson, and Conway has revealed that Carrick was a significant factor in his move to the Riverside.

He said: "The manager and what he’s done with players before were big factors in me coming here. Me and Doakie are learning from him.

"He’s played at the highest level, won major trophies for Manchester United, so he knows what it takes. That’s only going to help me and Doakie for club and country.”

Carrick's track record of nurturing talent should help Boro in January

With Boro not being blessed with the riches some of their promotion rivals are, largely due to the fact they're not in receipt of parachute payments, they've had to be much cleverer with how they've recruited in the market.

Not only recruiting, they've placed a greater emphasis on improving players, with a view to then sell on and turn a profit.

Chuba Akpom is a fantastic example of a player who Carrick nurtured in the infancy of his Middlesbrough tenure. He was able to succeed where many before him had failed in getting a tune out of Akpom, and they eventually sold him to Ajax for £12m after he'd netted 28 goals in 2022/23 and collected the Golden Boot.

Akpom's departure paved the way for Emmanuel Latte Lath to move to Teesside and he's the latest Boro hot prospect whose performances saw him attract interest in the summer.

That's not to mention that the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Morgan Rogers and Cameron Archer have all gone on to play in the Premier League after spells at Boro, while Rogers was even called up to the latest England squad.

Any potential recruits will see the way Carrick develops players and think that the club is a potential stepping stone to bigger and better things, a theory which Conway turning down a rival club would support.

That could be huge to their January transfer window plans as they look to strengthen their squad in preparation for the run in.