Middlesbrough made a miraculous turnaround last season, going from the depths of the table to within touching distance of automatic promotion.
In the end, Boro had to settle for a spot in the top six and they were eliminated by runners up Coventry City.
Michael Carrick’s side though have made a strong start to their summer transfer window, bringing in a number of new players and so far managing to hold on to star man Chuba Akpom.
But with the Championship looking fiercer then ever next season, Middlesbrough will need to make some significant improvements if they want to challenge for promotion to the Premier League.
Here, our writers have their say on how they think Middlesbrough will fare in the 2023/24 season…
Luke Phelps
“Middlesbrough are a really interesting one for next season. I think it’s obvious that they’ll be challenging for promotion but I think they’ll be looking more at a top six finish than a top two finish.
“Last season there was Burnley and Sheffield United gunning for automatic promotion but next season I think there’s a few more teams in that boat – potentially Boro if they can make a few more impressive signings this summer.
“I think their business so far this summer is decent, though I’m wondering if Carrick has enough star quality in his ranks to get his side over the line next time round.
“As things stand, I think Boro are definitely in the race for top six, but nothing more.”
Prediction: Top six
James Ray
“After last season, many will be tipping Middlesbrough to be right up there in the 2023/24 campaign, and rightly so. I think they’ll be in the race as well but I feel they may have to settle for the play-offs again given how strong the relegated sides are.
“If any of the sides to have dropped to the Championship struggle though, Boro could definitely capitalise and take their place in the automatic promotion battle. They looked fantastic under Carrick last season but they just petered out towards the end of the campaign.
“They could do with some more signings after the loss of some influential loan players but for now, I’ll say play-offs for Boro.”
Prediction: Play-offs
