Coventry City, Middlesbrough & Ipswich Town snubbed Jesse Lingard – he’s now found new club.

As we approach the end of the 2025/26 Championship season, Coventry City, Middlesbrough, and Ipswich Town are all strongly in contention for promotion to the Premier League.

There have been numerous twists and turns in the promotion picture, and you wouldn’t bet against more shake-ups before the season ends in May, with Coventry having reclaimed the top spot after losing an imperious lead earlier in the season.

Millwall, under by Alex Neil, are also hoping to surprise the top two as a late challenger.

The South London club is currently in third place, four points behind Middlesbrough and nine behind league leaders Coventry, but Ipswich will look to use their two games in hand to close the six-point gap between themselves and Kim Hellberg’s automatic promotion contenders.

One of those four sides will, of course, suffer heartbreak in the coming months after missing out on a promotion to the top flight, but the direction of the promotion battle remains to be seen.

In the meantime, a thrilling conclusion is likely to unfold in English football’s second division, with Coventry and Middlesbrough in particular vying for the same glory all season.

Another thing Coventry, Middlesbrough, and Ipswich had in common was their choice to turn down the opportunity to sign former Manchester United sensation Jesse Lingard on a free transfer after his departure from FC Seoul, as revealed by TEAMtalk earlier this month.

That same story highlighted how Burnley, Celtic, and Rangers had all rejected Lingard’s services, but the 33-year-old free agent is now set to sign elsewhere in a surprising move..

Ex-Man Utd star Jesse Lingard to seal Corinthians move after Coventry City, Middlesbrough, Ipswich Town transfer rejection

Lingard’s stock has slipped after his remarkable loan spell with West Ham United in the second part of the 2020/21 Premier League season, during which the attacking midfielder scored nine goals and provided four assists in just 16 games.

He was unable to push his way back into the fold at Old Trafford before moving on to Nottingham Forest and then FC Seoul, where the 32-cap ex-England international is experiencing a resurgence of sorts.

Lingard is likely to travel the world once more, according to a recent ESPN report, which indicated that the playmaker is close to joining Brazilian giants Corinthians.

According to the most recent update, the seven-time Brazilian top-flight winners are close to finalising the deal after agreeing on contractual terms with Lingard, who is expected to sign an initial one-year contract.

According to Fabrizio Romano of X, Lingard had competition from an undisclosed MLS club, but São Paulo appears to be the next step in his career.

Lingard, who made more than 200 appearances for Manchester United, is likely to reunite with Memphis Depay, a former Red Devils teammate who has been playing for Corinthians since leaving Atletico Madrid in 2024.

Coventry City, Middlesbrough, Ipswich Town have dodged potential Jesse Lingard transfer bullet

It’s perhaps not surprising that the trio all decided to turn down a deal for Lingard, who may have struggled to get going and give much in the heat of a Premier League promotion race.

The former West Ham loanee has an eye-catching pedigree and, at his peak, would definitely be a big success at Championship level.

However, all three sides already have excellent and functional midfields and may have struggled to accommodate Lingard, while there will also be natural concerns about his salary and the fact that he has spent recent seasons playing in a significantly weaker division of South Korea’s top flight.

Coventry, Middlesbrough, and Ipswich will all be hoping that their common rejection doesn’t come back to haunt them, but you get the impression that if any of those clubs miss out on promotion, it won’t be because they didn’t sign Lingard at this stage.

Read more on Straightwinfortoday.com