Middlesbrough star should be wary of any Newcastle United advance: View | OneFootball

Middlesbrough still have faint hopes of reaching this season’s Championship play-offs.

Boro have disappointed at times this campaign, as many expected them to be firmly in the race for a top-six finish, but form has meant they’ve struggled to keep up with the other sides.

It looked like their hopes of the play-offs were done a few weeks ago, but with a handful of games remaining, they still have a small chance of success.

But with it looking unlikely, given the teams in front of them, Boro will likely be preparing for another season in the second tier this summer.

The emphasis from Michael Carrick will be to improve the squad, not weaken it, so news emerging of possible interest in goalkeeper Seny Dieng will have come as a concern for the Boro boss this week.

Newcastle United are among the sides interested in Seny Dieng

It was reported by The Telegraph that a host of clubs are looking into a possible deal for Seny Dieng when the transfer window opens in a few months time.

The report states that the goalkeeper has interest from the Premier League, Championship, and abroad.

It goes on to add that Newcastle United are among the sides looking at the player, with Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town, and Sevilla also looking at the former QPR man.

However, all four sides have different reasons for wanting to add the Middlesbrough goalkeeper to their squad, with the Magpies looking to bring in a number two goalkeeper as Eddie Howe looks to strengthen his options.

Crystal Palace are expecting to lose one of Sam Johnstone and Dean Henderson this summer, and Ipswich could be looking for a new number one, given Vaclav Hladky’s current deal expires at the end of this season.

It has not become clear yet how Sevilla sees the Senegalese international fitting into their team, but there seems to be interest.

Seny Dieng should be wary of the interest from Newcastle United

This report that has emerged has given a clear indication of why each team is looking to add Seny Dieng to their team, and if what has been said is true, the goalkeeper needs to carefully consider his options.

The 29-year-old only joined Middlesbrough in the summer after spending seven years at Queens Park Rangers.

The shot stopper has proven to be a top goalkeeper at this level, and that has continued once again this season.

Dieng has missed a few games for Boro this season through injury, but when he has been available, he has been the regular choice under Michael Carrick.

The Senegalese international has played 29 times so far in the Championship, during which he has made 68 saves, with 2.3 (64%) coming per game, as per Sofascore.com.

Furthermore, the goalkeeper is averaging just 1.3 goals conceded per game and has so far kept nine clean sheets in the league. Dieng has proven to be key in the buildup for Boro this season, with him having a pass accuracy of 78% per game and even having an xA (expected assists) of 0.06 from his long-ball distribution, per Sofascore.com.

So, it can be seen why clubs may be looking at Dieng, as he’s proven to be very good at this level for a number of seasons now. While he will be pleased to see these teams mentioned with interest, Dieng must be wary of the Newcastle interest.

It seems that the Magpies are only looking for a number two goalkeeper, so when you consider Dieng plays every game for Middlesbrough now, why would he consider that move?

At 29, the Boro keeper will want to keep playing football as much as he can for as long as he can, so the idea of joining Newcastle and being a backup surely can’t be something that interests him.

Obviously, joining the Magpies would mean he would be in the Premier League and the likelihood he would be earning more money, but if he wants to keep playing, then joining them isn’t the right move for him and his career.

Dieng signed a contract until the summer of 2027 when he joined Middlesbrough, so whoever looks to sign the goalkeeper will need to pay considerably more than what they paid QPR. But the player needs to make sure it is the right move where his game time isn’t going to be affected, and if it is, staying with Boro may be the best option.