Middlesbrough’s newly appointed boss Neil Warnock is expected to hold talks with Chris Gunter about potentially linking up with the soon-to-be free agent.

This morning, Jonathan Woodgate left the Riverside Stadium, with Warnock arriving to replace him at the helm and looking to help the club avoid slipping into the third-tier of English football.

And, on the back of that appointment, it has been revealed by Laurie Whitwell at The Athletic that talks with Gunter are expected.

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Gunter has just extended his contract with Reading across the Championship, keeping him at the Madejski Stadium until the 2019/20 season can conclude.

In addition to Warnock’s expected talks with his former target, Birmingham City have an interest in signing Gunter, but doubt surrounds the managerial role at St Andrew’s with Pep Clotet set to walk away on the back of the remaining eight games of the season.

Gunter, who is a Welsh international, has made 514 appearances in his club career and is still only 30.

308 of those appearances have come with Reading, who returned to Championship action on Saturday with a 1-1 draw against Stoke City – Gunter featured for 90 minutes.

The Verdict  

Gunter is an experienced head and has been around in the Championship for a long, long time.

He’s got qualities that will appeal to Warnock at Middlesbrough, should he stay beyond the end of this season, whilst his experience could also benefit Birmingham City heading into next season.

Reading fans have been critical of him in the past, but you can’t deny his record there and the fact he’s a player that could add so much to a club at that level of football.

Thoughts? Let us know!