Schwarzer threatens to leave Boro

MIDDLESBROUGH goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has drawn a frosty response from the club, after he admitted he could leave if contract negotiations stall.

The 34-year-old Australia international is currently in talks with the Teessiders as he prepares to enter the final year of his existing deal. However, having seen compatriot Mark Viduka leave the Riverside Stadium for derby rivals Newcastle last month after the club delayed opening talks with him, Schwarzer vented his frustration.

Boro’s public reaction was diplomatic, although they were privately less than impressed by the goalkeeper’s comments.

Chief executive Keith Lamb said: “Talks with Mark are ongoing, but we do not conduct our negotiations through the media.”

Schwarzer signed a three-year contract extension in January 2005 after withdrawing a shock transfer request. He completed 10 years at the Riverside in February following his £1.5 million move from Bradford.

However, Viduka’s situation has brought his own into sharper focus. Manager Gareth Southgate admitted, as he tried desperately to persuade the striker to agree a new deal, that talks might have started earlier.

Now he faces a similar battle with Schwarzer, who has been unimpressed with the club’s efforts to date as he contemplates the possibility of continuing his career elsewhere.

He said: “I have taken it to be quite normal at Middlesbrough, they do leave things very, very late and they tend to do things only when they are under pressure to do something.

“It’s unfortunate because it’s not just with me, it’s with other players like Mark. You would think, with the more experienced players and the important players in the squad, you would look to tie them down earlier and not let things drag on.

Schwarzer, who has been linked with Bayern Munich, is intent on agreeing a deal to take him to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.