Michael Carrick to West Ham chances explained as Mark Noble favourite leaves Middlesbrough

Not so long ago, the expectation was that – when the day came for former West Ham United midfielder Michael Carrick to leave Middlesbrough – he would depart with a Premier League job in the pipeline.

Hammers News revealed back in December, as the pressure on Julen Lopetegui reached intolerable levels, Michael Carrick was Mark Noble’s preferred pick to take over at the London Stadium.

While former technical director Tim Steidten was said to prefer former Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic or ex-Benfica chief Roger Schmidt, while vice-chairman Karren Brady eventually got her way with Graham Potter’s appointment, West Ham United’s sporting director had his sights firmly fixed on the man in the Middlesbrough dugout.

Carrick took over at the Riverside in late-2022, dragging Boro out of the Championship’s relegation zone and securing a majorly-impressive fourth place finish.

The former Premier League and Champions League winner was heavily linked with a return to West Ham on numerous occasions throughout his time in the North East.

But with Carrick’s Middlesbrough spell ending in a way few would have imagined following his remarkable early impact – the 43-year-old was sacked on Wednesday – the Hammers job feels a lot further away now than it did in December, when Noble was talking up his credentials.

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Former West Ham midfielder Michael Carrick sacked by Middlesbrough

After two defeats and a draw in their final three Championship matches, Middlesbrough slipped from play-off contenders to mid-table mediocrity during an underwhelming conclusion to the 2024/25 season.

And while Carrick will point to the January sale of talismanic striker Emmanuel Latte Lath – the second time he had lost his top scorer, Ajax signing Chuba Akpom weeks after he claimed the division’s Golden Boot – concerns over his style of play had been festering for quite a while.

BREAKING: Middlesbrough part ways with manager Michael Carrick BREAKING: Middlesbrough part ways with manager Michael Carrick 🚨 Posted by Sky Sports on Wednesday, June 4, 2025

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There was a sense that he was far too wedded to his principles. Reluctant to adapt even when the direction of travel was clearly heading in the wrong direction.

The 6-1 obliteration by Chelsea in the semi-finals of the 2023/24 EFL Cup, many critics argued, was typical of a manager who’s steadfast commitment to that possession-based, build-from-the-back style left Middlesbrough vulnerable to aggressive, front-foot teams capable of exploiting a rather naive approach to defending.

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West Ham unlikely to turn to Carrick if Graham Potter leaves

Now, West Ham may be on the lookout for a new boss themselves if Graham Potter suffers a sluggish start to the 2025/26 campaign.

However, speaking exclusively to Hammers News, football correspondent Graeme Bailey cannot envisage Carrick featuring prominently in any potential post-Potter conversations.

“Michael Carrick has long been linked with West Ham, and we know that Mark Noble was particularly impressed with him and has pushed for him,” Bailey explains.

“However, Carrick’s stock now is way off West Ham’s level. He has taken Middlesbrough from the play-offs and regressed in the following two seasons. It’s hard to imagine that he could get a Premier League job from this point.

“He is going to have to rebuild his reputation.”

It was reported by Sean Whetstone back in 2023 that West Ham had approached Michael Carrick via intermediaries to gauge his interest in taking over from then-boss David Moyes.

Around 18 months later, a la former England teammates Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, the early excitement surrounding Carrick’s burgeoning managerial career has given way to exasperation.

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