"Got the right ingredients to thrive" - Portsmouth backed to get the best out of Middlesbrough man | OneFootball

Sammy Silvera is set to join Pompey on a season-long loan deal

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Portsmouth are on the verge of concluding a loan deal for Middlesbrough winger Sammy Silvera.

As first reported by Will Unwin, the Australian attacker will be spending the 2024-25 season on the south coast of England, with John Mousinho set to add to his options in the final third.

The 23-year-old arrived at the Riverside Stadium last summer from Australian outfit Central Coast Mariners, signing a three-year deal in the process.

He featured regularly for Boro as both a starter and off the bench, making 37 Championship appearances and contributing four goals and two assists, but it now appears that Michael Carrick sees his best next step being a temporary move away to continue his development.

Sammy Silvera could thrive with a year at Portsmouth

Pompey look set to be the team to benefit and FLW's Portsmouth Fan Pundit, Miltos Ioannidis, thinks it's a positive step for his club

Speaking to Football League World, Miltos said: “Yeah, really excited about this one. Obviously, he’s someone I didn’t know an awful lot of things (about him) about just one day ago.

“But, similar to Josh Murphy, he seems a very technical player, great when isolated in one-v-one situations, solid ball progression, low gravity on the ball.

“And, from the clips I’ve seen, he looks to have got that unpredictably about him. He’s got the ability to slow the game down when needed and generally take stock of things.

“Regardless of the fact that his first full season in England wasn’t the smoothest, he’s got the right ingredients to thrive and become a more complete and mature player under Mousinho."

If Silvera signs as expected, then it will be the second winger addition of the summer after Josh Murphy's arrival, but Miltos believes that Abu Kamara could still find a place in the squad, should Mousinho be able to bring him back to Fratton Park.

“I don’t think this transfer affects our pursuit for Abu Kamara, to be honest," Miltos added.

"Portsmouth’s stance has been very clear from day one that it’s completely out of our destiny, where he’ll end up playing this season.

“Obviously, Norwich have got a new manager in, so the expectation is that Kamara will spend a full pre-season training with Norwich, and then it’s about seeing how he fares in his new manager’s plans. But, for now, it’s the waiting game.”

The reported lack of an option to buy for Pompey in the upcoming deal for Silvera may, on the face of it, seem like they're helping Boro on two fronts: easing pressure on their wage budget and developing one of Carrick's young players for little benefit beyond this season.

It could however work out as a smart bit of business for Portsmouth.

Josh Murphy may have already signed, but Mousinho needs more options for both flanks to compete with the ex-Oxford man and Paddy Lane, especially if Abu Kamara is unable to return.

Whether he returns this season is far from certain and, in Silvera, the club has a low-cost alternative that, with a full second-tier season under his belt, could be ideal to bridge the gap between their League One and Championship campaigns.

Six goal involvements won't make headlines any time soon, but for a relatively young player adjusting to his first season in English football, it's a strong start. It wouldn't be a shock to see him kick on next season.

In time, Pompey will want to spend resources developing young talent for their own benefit but, with a decade-long Championship absence, the main objective is to solidify their place in the division this season, and a player like Silvera, who now knows the level, could be an ideal temporary fix to meet that aim.