The Boro management is planning the 2024-25 promotion bid, and head of football Kieran Scott maintains there is a desire to get it properly. Kieran Scott understands what it takes to get promoted from the Championship. Middlesbrough’s director of football has extensive experience at the top of the division, having played a vital role in Norwich City’s two promotions.
He would want nothing more than to return to Boro this summer, having missed out on opportunities in his three years on Teesside. The initiative has been a long-term effort, but it appears that the components are finally in place for a successful campaign. Boro now have the manager they want in Michael Carrick, as well as a set of players who, with significant acquisitions, are ready to the task at hand following last summer’s roster upheaval. They came close in 2023, but Coventry ended their promotion hopes with a play-off semi-final victory at the Riverside. That was followed by an exodus, with players including Cameron Archer, Zach Steffen, Aaron Ramsey, and Ryan Giles returning to their respective clubs following loan spells, and, most importantly, leading goalscorer Chuba Akpom moving to Ajax. Boro were impacted heavily by this transition, since a slew of new recruits were required that summer, and the inevitable bedding-in process meant that results on the pitch dropped slightly.
After a year, the club is beginning to see the benefits of those signings, with players such as Emmanuel Latte-Lath, Rav van den Berg, and Sammy Silvera establishing themselves as crucial players. Boro have already recruited Luke Ayling and Delano Burgzorg to their squad, with USA midfielder Aidan Morris due to join with hopes rising.
Scott concedes that, while difficult decisions have been made in the past, it has always been about preparing for a brighter future – and that the club’s goal to reach Premier League status is stronger than ever.
“Every time we have sold a player, there has been a reason why we’ve had to do that,” he stated. “It’s not true that we sat here wanting to sell.
Chuba Akpom recently scored 29 goals for us. “He made it clear that he did not want to sign a new contract.” So, with a year remaining on his contract, we were obligated to do it. It’s not like we’re desperate to sell our top players. However, there comes a time when you have to do what is best for the club, even if it is not always what the fans want to see.
“But in terms of ambition, I can guarantee you that there is still a strong desire to earn promotion. That is why we drew Michael to the job. He has accomplished so much in his career and has not come here solely to sit in the Championship. I’m certain
haven’t come here for that either. “I came here from Norwich where we went up twice in three years. What I would say though is that, when I did first arrive, the squad wasn’t in a position to go up. It was a group of players either coming to the end of their careers or, quite frankly, not good enough.
“So we have been in a rebuilding process since I arrived, and there has been a few speed bumps along the way. But the ambition from everyone here is absolutely to fight to get up.
“This year was hard because of the three teams that came down with the massive resources they have. So for us, it has been a case of needing that time to get the squad back to the level it needed to be at and to get to this point, there have been a lot of things needed to be done. I feel like we’re in a really healthy position now.” The success of this summer’s business will be determined when the action begins in August. The Championship season is long, and there will be twists and turns, but Boro will seek to be among the pacesetters this time around, and if their on-field performance matches their off-field ambition, they will not be far behind.
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