Middlesbrough: Portsmouth loan could be make or break for Sammy Silvera - View | OneFootball

The winger endured a tough first season at The Riverside Stadium, but his time at Fratton Park could decide his long-term Boro future

It has already been an encouraging and busy start to the summer transfer window for Portsmouth.

Having lifted the League One title last season, the club are now preparing for a long-awaited return to the Championship in the 2024/25 campaign.

With the club looking to put together a squad for John Mousinho that can be competitive in the second-tier, they have already made three first-team signings.

Winger Jacob Murphy, right-back Jordan Williams and goalkeeper Jordan Archer have all completed permanent moves to Fratton Park.

Now Portsmouth look set to add another player to their side, with a deal with one of the clubs they will be competing with in the Championship next season, in the form of Middlesbrough.

Portsmouth closing in on Sammy Silvera deal

According to recent reports, Portsmouth are closing in on the signing of left-winger Sammy Silvera from Boro.

It is thought that the Australian international will move to Fratton Park on a temporary basis, signing on a season-long loan.

However, that deal is not expected to include an option to buy for Pompey, meaning he will be returning to Middlesbrough at the end of the 2024/25 season.

Even so, the need for some extra options out wide who can help them adapt to life in the Championship, does mean this looks like it could be a useful deal for Portsmouth to get done.

From Silvera's perspective though, it could be argued that this spell at Fratton Park will bring with it major pressure for him, as he looks ahead to his return to Middlesbrough.

Sammy Silvera has a point to prove to Middlesbrough

Silvera only joined Middlesbrough last summer, when he signed for an undisclosed fee from Central Coast Mariners in his native Australia.

However, the 23-year-old then found himself enduring a somewhat frustrating debut campaign at the Riverside Stadium during the 2023/24 season.

Game time was hard to come by that season for the Australian, with the vast majority of his appearances coming from the bench, while he also struggled to make much of an impact when he was on the pitch.

As a result, there now looks as though there is a need for him, from his own point of view, to show just what he can do in the Championship.

It is suggested that Middlesbrough want Silvera to get regular game time during his spell at Fratton Park, then he can make an impact when he returns to Michael Carrick's side.

There may though, be no guarantee that he will actually get those chances at Portsmouth, especially given they have already completed the signing of another exciting option in that left-wing role in the form of the aforementioned Murphy.

If therefore, Silvera is unable to force his way into Mousinho's side, or again struggles to make an impact when he gets those chances, it could give Middlesbrough a big call to make on his future.

Should things play out in that way, it would be the second consecutive campaign in which he will have been unable to make the required impact at this level.

That may leave Boro questioning whether he will ever be able to step up to the mark in the way that is needed, especially for a club such as them, who obviously have the ambition to return to the Premier League.

It is also worth noting that Silvera signed a three-year contract with Middlesbrough, when he joined the club in the summer of 2023.

He will therefore, be entering the final year of his contract at The Riverside Stadium once his loan spell with Portsmouth comes to an end at the conclusion of this season.

That of course, means next summer may be Boro's last chance to cash in on the winger, and recoup some of the fee they paid to sign him last year.

If he is unable to show an improvement on what he produced for Michael Carrick's side last season while he is on loan at Portsmouth, then it could well tempt them to try and do just that.

As a result, it seems there is an argument that this temporary departure from Middlesbrough