Middlesbrough will play in the Championship again next season, following a contentious and turbulent finale to the 2025/26 season and play-off campaign.

Middlesbrough hired former Hammarby manager Kim Hellberg after replacing Rob Edwards in the first part of the season, who left to join Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Hellberg performed an outstanding job leading The Smoggies to the top of the Championship table as late as mid-February, but he was unable to prevent a dip in form that saw Borough drop to fifth place.

They finally lost their play-off semi-final to Southampton after extra time in the second leg at St Mary’s, but were reinstated in the final due to’spygate’.

Once again, Borough suffered a heartbreaking setback, with a last-gasp Oli McBurnie goal propelling Hull City to the Premier League at the expense of the Teessiders.

Borough are expected to be busy in the summer transfer window as they prepare for next season, but they have been advised to avoid signing Alan Browne again.

Middlesbrough advised not to re-sign Alan Browne.

Middlesbrough signed Alan Browne on a season-long loan agreement from Sunderland last summer, following the Black Cats’ promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.

The former Preston North End midfielder was a valuable addition to the Borough squad and contributed to their promotion campaign, but FLW’s Middlesbrough Fan Pundit Liam Day feels the club should resist re-signing the Republic of Ireland international.

Liam says, “I think as a football club, you need to progress, and I don’t think Alan Browne is a progressive signing.”

“He was okay for us, which some may see as harsh, but I wasn’t particularly impressed, except for one or two games.”

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“While he is a competent veteran, I don’t believe he is of the standard that we require, and towards the conclusion of the season, his consistency and performance quality dipped significantly.

“I don’t really want him to return to ‘Borough. I realise it’s a cheap bargain, but you can receive salaries and spend the money elsewhere.

“Personally, I think there are better options out there, even at a similar age range with a bit more quality and I think you really need to progress and getting rid of the likes of Alex Gilbert, Sammy Silvera and Alan Browne will help you do that because you need to replace them with more quality.”

Middlesbrough have a busy summer ahead of them.

With Kim Hellberg poised to take over Middlesbrough for his first full season, the impressive coach is looking forward to making his mark on the group and the players at his disposal.

Hellberg may be given the green light to rethink things after doing an amazing job dealing with players that did not quite match his system or style but were coached to perform so.

Middlesbrough’s summer has begun with the release of six players from their squad, including experienced goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin, Darragh Lenihan, Dan Barlaser, Alex Gilbert, Sam Silvera, and Marcus Forss, who spent last season on loan at League One play-off winners Bolton Wanderers.

Jeremy Sarmiento, who arrived on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion in the January transfer window, has now signed a permanent agreement at the Riverside, and more changes are expected.

Browne is under contract with Sunderland until the summer of 2027, but as the Wearsiders prepare for the UEFA Europa League next season, he is anticipated to leave permanently this summer.

Despite his contribution and excellent versatility, which allows him to play in a deeper midfield role as well as out wide on occasion and in a so-called ‘number ten’ position, ‘Borough may seek to be more ambitious than his return this summer, especially given that Browne only started 26 league games before starting the final against Hull at Wembley.