Versatile Middlesbrough man Paddy McNair is wanted by both Premier League and Championship clubs
as the Teessiders look to cash in.
The Teessiders have been active in the summer window already with no fewer than six additions to their
ranks – mostly players with promise and potential as opposed to players who are expected to hit the
ground running straight away – perhaps with the exception of QPR goalkeeper Seny Dieng.
Boro sold Marcus Tavernier and Djed Spence for significant fees last summer but you get the sense that
Michael Carrick will not want to lose any of his big-name individuals, which include his talisman Chuba
Akpom.
There is still strengthening that needs to take place and perhaps that could be funded by one sale
though, with the future of Paddy McNair very much up in the air.
Premier League and Championship interest emerges in Paddy McNair
Football League World exclusively reported last month that Boro were open to letting McNair depart the
Riverside Stadium this summer as he has just one year remaining on his contract, and at the time
Premier League newboys Luton Town were believed to be keen on a deal for the Northern Ireland
international.
Interest has now swelled in the versatile 28-year-old though, as plenty more clubs have joined the race
for his services.
The other two promoted clubs from the Championship last season – Burnley and Sheffield United, are
both believed to be keen on McNair according to a report from TEAMtalk, and they are joined as suitors
by Fulham and Bournemouth too.
It has also been claimed that Championship outfits are looking at McNair too, with both Leicester City
and Leeds United said to be keeping tabs on the former Manchester United player this summer.
How did Paddy McNair perform for Middlesbrough last season?
McNair has been at Boro for five years now having joined in 2018 from Sunderland in a deal that could
have reached past the £5 million mark, and apart from his first season at the club he has been pretty
much a regular in the first-team.
That was until the 2022-23 season, where after starting the campaign in the starting 11 under Chris
Wilder, McNair was dropped by new manager Carrick in October following his appointment and he had
to wait until January to get a chance in the first-team at centre-back.
McNair then remained in Carrick’s plans for the most part, partnering Darragh Lenihan at the back for
Boro whilst Dael Fry had to take a watching berth from the substitutes bench – over the course of the
season the Northern Irishman played 34 times in all competitions, scoring one goal in a 3-0 win over
Blackpool.
Now though, with less than 12 months to go on his contract at the club, McNair may now move on with
Boro having enough bodies right now at the back to cope with his potential departure.
And he may get one more crack to prove himself in the Premier League after appearing in the top flight
33 times earlier in his career for both Man United and Sunderland – it just depends if any club offers the
kind of fee that Boro want for his services.
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Sunderland get their season underway with a home tie against Ipswich Town on the 6th of August.
The Black Cats made a bang last season as they returned to the Championship after a few seasons away.
Sunderland defied the odds and made it all the way to the play-off semi-finals, a taste that the players
will want again.
Expectations will have risen now, and pressure will be on Tony Mowbray and his Sunderland team to
achieve what they did in the 2022/23 season as the minimum.
The club will no doubt continue to be busy in the coming weeks of the transfer window, but even with
new arrivals, there are bound to be players who are guaranteed to be starters come that opening game.
Which Sunderland players are surely guaranteed to start v Ipswich Town?
Here, we have four Sunderland players who are surely guaranteed to start the game against Ipswich on
the first week of August.
Anthony Patterson
The 23-year-old has now established himself as the club’s number one goalkeeper.
Sunderland obviously means a lot to the player as he came through the club’s academy, and last season
would have been a proud moment for the player as he played all 46 games in the Championship.
Patterson broke through in the 2021/22 season, playing 20 games, and he was crucial in the club’s
promotion from League One.
So, it wasn’t a surprise that he continued in that position last season, and he didn’t look out of place.
The Black Cats are looking at the market for a new goalkeeper, but that doesn’t put any uncertainty in
Patterson’s place, as he will be expected to start the season as the club’s first-choice keeper.
Will Dennis Cirkin start against Ipswich Town?
Cirkin joined Sunderland from Tottenham Hotspur in 2021, and since arriving at the club, he has been
very impressive on Wearside.
The 21-year-old was an important figure in the club’s promotion from League One, and he was once
again last season as they reached the Championship play-offs.
The left-back played 28 times in the league last season, and the games he did miss were because of
injuries.
Cirkin is currently the club’s only recognised left-back, and with his impressive performances so far, it
would be a complete surprise if the 21-year-old wasn’t starting against Ipswich in a couple of weeks’
time.
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