Middlesbrough FC: 3 potential Michael Carrick replacements as West Ham links resurface | OneFootball

The Boro head coach has been linked with the West Ham job if a vacancy appears, so we've taken a look at three possible successors at the Riverside...

Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick has been linked with a move to West Ham United as a potential Julen Lopetegui replacement.

On 7 December, The Mirror exclusively revealed that Carrick would be considered by the Hammers should the under pressure Lopetegui be sacked.

It's understood that the Boro head coach, who began his professional career with West Ham, is high up on the club's shortlist, with his attractive brand of football at the Riverside being of significant appeal to the Premier League side.

Carrick has always remained steadfast in his commitment to Middlesbrough Football Club, as this isn't the first time he's been linked with the West Ham post, but the opportunity to take over at the London Stadium could eventually prove to be a difficult one to turn down for the 43-year-old.

However, in the event that Middlesbrough do lose Carrick to the Hammers, we've taken a look at three potential candidates to succeed him at the Riverside Stadium - this list is in no particular order.

Mark Robins

If there's one manager who's had Carrick's and Middlesbrough's number more than any other in recent times, it's Mark Robins.

Robins is the opposition manager Carrick has faced the most during his tenure at the Riverside Stadium, and in the six times he's faced the former Coventry City boss, he's yet to come out on the winning side.

The Sky Blues have been a thorn in Boro's side over the last couple of seasons under Robins. They triumphed over the Teessiders in the 2022/23 Championship play-off semi-finals, as well as defeating Middlesbrough by three goals to nil on 7 November, in what would be Robins' penultimate game in charge at Coventry.

As such, there's arguably no coach out there that knows Boro's strengths and weaknesses better than Robins does, which would surely make him an ideal candidate to come in and correct those flaws.

He's proven himself to be an excellent manager at Championship level, and would surely be a leading candidate among many Middlesbrough supporters should Carrick vacate his post.

Steve Cooper

After being sacked by Leicester City in late November after just five months in charge of the Foxes, Steve Cooper is an intriguing name on the managerial market.

The Welshman proved himself as a top manager at Championship level during his time with both Swansea City and later Nottingham Forest.

Cooper guided Swansea to sixth and fourth-placed finishes in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons respectively, which are the Swans' highest league placings since returning to the second tier in 2018.

As for his time with Forest, Cooper guided the club to Premier League promotion in the 2021/22 season, after taking over from Chris Hughton in September, with the club sitting in the relegation zone with one point from their opening seven games.

He then consolidated Forest's top-flight status the following year with a 16th-placed finish in 2022/23, before being sacked from his position at the Trent Ground in December 2023.

Despite Leicester's struggles so far this season, Cooper had the foxes above the relegation zone at the time of his sacking, and has proven himself capable of getting a side promoted to the Premier League and keeping them there.

Danny Rohl

Should Middlesbrough cast their eyes towards plucking a coach from a fellow Championship club, Danny Rohl would have to be right at the top of Boro's list.

The German is one of the brightest young managers in English football, and given the circumstances he's had to operate in during his time with Sheffield Wednesday so far, the 35-year-old has been doing an outstanding job at Hillsborough.

After keeping the Owls in the Championship last season, Wednesday have placed themselves firmly among the play-off contenders as the halfway point of the campaign approaches.

Like Carrick, Rohl is also proving himself to be a top coach when it comes to developing young talent, and has shown a shrewd eye for good business when it comes to the transfer market too.

He's no stranger to deploying Carrick's preferred 4-2-3-1 system, but has seen success with a three at the back approach too, highlighting his coaching ability by getting results and winning performances from a number of different formations.

Rohl did sign a contract extension through 2027 in the summer, however, which would complicate and likely weaken Boro's chances of prizing him away from the Owls.

But, he could see a move to the Riverside as one that would provide him a greater chance at winning promotion to the Premier League, and perhaps fast track him to the top-flight.

It would be a complicated deal for Middlesbrough to tie up, but he'd surely be a name that would be of interest to them.