MIDDLESBROUGH bosses are bracing themselves for a mass walkout.
At least six players are ready to go if the club gets relegated.
Stewart Downing will get his move to Spurs and midfielder Gary O'Neill is heading back to Portsmouth. But keeper Ross Turnbull, £12million striker Afonso Alves, Tuncay and Julio Arca will also jump ship.
Nightmare
Turnbull has infuriated Gareth Southgate by snubbing a new deal with his contract set to run out in the summer. Alves is desperate to end his 18-month north-east nightmare with a move to Portugal and Tuncay is interesting Chelsea.
Villarreal and Sunderland are both monitoring Arca's situation.
Southgate said: "The chairman said to me it will feel like promotion if we stay up - and it would."
At least six players are ready to go if the club gets relegated.
Stewart Downing will get his move to Spurs and midfielder Gary O'Neill is heading back to Portsmouth. But keeper Ross Turnbull, £12million striker Afonso Alves, Tuncay and Julio Arca will also jump ship.
Nightmare
Turnbull has infuriated Gareth Southgate by snubbing a new deal with his contract set to run out in the summer. Alves is desperate to end his 18-month north-east nightmare with a move to Portugal and Tuncay is interesting Chelsea.
Villarreal and Sunderland are both monitoring Arca's situation.
Southgate said: "The chairman said to me it will feel like promotion if we stay up - and it would."