Middlesbrough are pushing for a top-six Championship spot along with Tony Mowbray’s West Brom.
Tony Mowbray had an ominous warning about the growing gulf between standards in the Premier League and Championship after his West Brom drew 1-1 with promotion favourites Leeds United last weekend.
Middlesbrough are currently hoping to join Leeds in next season’s Premier League, as they battle with Mowbray’s West Brom for one of the two remaining spots in the Championship top six. That will book a play-off spot that would give Michael Carrick’s side a shot at earning a ticket to the richest domestic league in the world.
However, those riches aren’t without complications. With the Premier League and EFL unable in recent years to agree a new financial redistribution model, the gap between the top flight and second tier grows ever more. That’s highlighted in the promotion and relegation picture in the two divisions.
In the last five Championship seasons, an average of two of the three promoted sides are clubs in receipt of financially-boosting parachute payments that give them a leg-up on their competitors. In the Premier League, this term looks set to be the second consecutive year in which all three promoted sides go straight back down.
After drawing with Leeds last weekend, Mowbray warned: “Leeds are very, very good. I’m sure in my mind that they are going up. I think for this football club it’s about what they do in the summer. I had a chat with Daniel, how much are they going to spend? How are they going to survive? Southampton and Leicester were amazing teams last year in this league and they can’t win a game. So is that going to be Leeds next year?
“There’s always this thing at the back of your mind – ‘what are we going to do in the summer?’ Are Leeds going to spend £200million just to give themselves half a chance? Or are they going to go with this team and probably get relegated by February? I don’t know the answers.”
As Boro themselves aim to make it back to the Premier League after an eight-year absence, Mowbray’s warning is certainly one to take note of – and one all of the game’s governing bodies should be concerned about.
The ultimate ambition for Boro is to get back to the top flight and stay there. While there are obvious financial benefits to achieving promotion even if you ultimately do still come back down, no one would want a season like Ipswich, Leicester and Southampton are currently having – while Luton’s current season after relegation proves that parachute payments aren’t a certified guarantee for instant success on the return to the Championship.
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