Middlesbrough urged to offload Matthew Hoppe | OneFootball

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…

Middlesbrough flop Matthew Hoppe has been given a second shot at life in the North East of England - but a lack of minutes paints a telling story.

The American looked to be a bright prospect when bursting through at Schalke as a teenager, but a lack of goals from the striker since has seen his stock plummet.

A real lack of impact in the MLS, Scottish Premiership, La Liga and the Championship since means it's a relative guess as to where Hoppe will ply his trade next, but it likely won't be at the Riverside Stadium for Boro.

Matthew Hoppe's Middlesbrough future is in serious doubt

Speaking to Football League World, Middlesbrough fan pundit Dana Malt admitted that it is stilll a surprise to see Hoppe at Middlesbrough given his severe lack of minutes at the Riverside.

“I am surprised that he’s still here, to be honest," Dana told FLW.

"He’s a very interesting signing and I feel like Boro have this type of addition every summer, really.

"Alex Gilbert is probably the most recent version of this but you kind of sit back and you look at their time at Middlesbrough so far and you wonder why - Why were they brought in? Why are they still here? What is the plan for them and what do they actually offer as a player? “We don’t know much about Matthew Hoppe, because we haven’t seen much of Matthew Hoppe in a Middlesbrough shirt.

"I am surprised, but I think he’ll be one of the players that Boro will offload in the summer.”

Matthew Hoppe could look to MLS transfer wimdow for Middlesbrough escape

Hoppe was signed by Middlesbrough from Mallorca in August 2022, but he’s only featured in six games for the Riverside outfit - totalling a measly 56 minutes in the Championship without scoring a goal in that time.

It is not the type of signing that screams forward planning, especially with the USA international heading on two loans last year to Scottish outfit Hibernian and MLS side San Jose Earthquakes, only returning three goals from 17 appearances in his time away from Boro.

The fact that his loan spell back to his native USA including an option-to-buy clause was a clear indication that Hoppe had no future at Middlesbrough, but after evidently not impressing in California, that it wasn’t taken up probably portrays a worse picture given the perceived level of the MLS compared to the Championship.

There is still time for Hoppe to make his mark at Middlesbrough given that he will have two years left on his contract at the end of the current season and he has made the last couple of matchday squads, but with Josh Coburn and Emmanuel Latte Lath at the club and Sam Silvera starting up-front against Leicester, the American is simply just making up the numbers.

Crucially, the MLS transfer window only closes in April, and whilst clubs have to be roster compliant in terms of squad size and salaries by the start of the season this weekend, they can still do deals for the next two months - that could be Hoppe's best way out for a fresh start.

Hoppe comeback at Middlesbrough looks unlikely

Having had over almost two months to impress Carrick in a bid to get back into the Middlesbrough team, Hoppe's lack of minutes likely tells a story.

There is little to suggest movement in the summer on the transfer front, but with clubs likely to be in the market for new strikers in pre-season, Hoppe could finally find his move away.

The American will look to Chuba Akpom for inspiration - Akpom was frozen out by Neil Warnock in his time at the Riverside, but Chris Wilder re-introducting him and then the arrival of Michael Carrick arrival saw the striker hit top form and finish the season as the Championship Player of the Year before his move to Ajax.

There's every chance that could happen for Hoppe in an ideal world, but it does look unlikely given the fact the USA international has only had one glimpse of a breakthrough season at Schalke to suggest he can hit a good run of form.