Aitor Karanka was sacked by Middlesbrough in March but reports suggest he could return to the North East with Sunderland.
With cries of ‘Moyes out’ the soundtrack to Sunderland’s recent home fixtures, few managers in the Premier League this season could claim to be quite as unpopular among his own supporters.
Former Middlesbrough coach Aitor Karanka, however, was one of them until recently.
From maddeningly rigid tactics to criticising his own fans for a perceived lack of atmosphere, all the while instilling one of the most blunt, joyless brands of football seen in the top flight for many a year, the safety-first Spaniard was about as disliked by neutrals as he was Boro supporters.
As such, it appears impossible that interim boss Steve Agnew could keep the North East strugglers up after Karanka’s sacking in March.
Perhaps the most damning indictment is that they will not be missed.
Therefore, reports by Spanish publication Sport that he could move to Boro’s North East rivals and replace the beleaguered Moyes were always going to be met with differing viewpoints.
On one hand, Karanka is hardly hot property after a dismal season at the Riverside. On the other, the fact he took the club up in the first place was impressive enough. A pragmatist who learned his trade from Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid, Karanka has proven that he can get results in the second tier.
Moyes, as it stands, is something of an unknown quantity in the Championship having not managed in the second tier since his Preston days.
But would the risk reap rewards?
I think Karanka will do a better job than Moyes in the Championship tbh. Brings passion and energy. Somethings Moyes has lost. #safc pic.twitter.com/98r8LvQk9y
— Ian Safc (@IanSafc77) May 2, 2017
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