Middlesbrough look likely to be competing in the Championship once again next season.
As things stand, Michael Carrick‘s side are 11th in the table, eight points adrift of the play-off places.
They are therefore, some way away from even getting a shot at promotion, by securing a top six spot.
Of course, Middlesbrough are a club with ambition. They will no doubt want to get back to the top-flight as soon as possible.
But with that unlikely to come this season, they may be hoping for a strong transfer window this summer, to put them in a position to challenge for promotion in the 2024/25 campaign.
However, it now appears that money to be spent on new signings will not be significant for the club once the market opens.
Transfer expert on what money Middlesbrough have to spend
While Middlesbrough did spend some fees in the summer, transfer expert Graeme Bailey has suggested that much of that was funded by the sale of Chuba Akpom to Ajax.
He has also noted that, unless there is a similar sale again, ‘Boro will not have a great deal to spend, in comparison to their second-tier rivals.
Speaking exclusively to boro.news about whether Middlesbrough will have money to spend in the summer transfer window, Bailey said:
“Not a lot, no. They didn’t have a lot last year, they were reliant on the money from Chuba Akpom, and next season if they do spend, they’ll be reliant on money from player sales again. They’ll have a little bit here and there, a few million, but nothing in comparison to much of the league.”
On the pitch, Michael Carrick’s side are next in action when they travel to St Andrew’s to face Birmingham City on Tuesday night.
Spending claims a concern for ‘Boro
The suggestion that there will not be much money to spend come the summer will be a concern for Middlesbrough.
We have seen in the past couple of seasons, how much of an advantage the newly relegated sides appear to have when coming down to the Championship.
The finances they have from their time in the Premier League, and the parachute payments, has allowed the likes of Leicester City this season, to put together squads that are arguably too good for this level.
That then makes it incredibly hard for Middlesbrough and others, to compete with those teams in the race for promotion.
They are therefore, likely going to have to find money to spend from somewhere, if they want to have a chance to be competitive.
However, it appears that could be tricky. While the likes of Rav van den Berg are apparently attracting interest, the chances of a move this summer have been played down.
Hayden Hackney is another who Carrick appears to keen to keep amid interest from elsewhere.
Should things play out that way, it may be difficult gor the club to raise the funds they need to invest in the window. Should that be the case, there may be some concerns that next season could be another frustrating one for Middlesbrough.