"Staggered" - Middlesbrough predicted to make "definite loss" on £2.5m signing | OneFootball

FLW's Middlesbrough fan pundit has given his view on striker Matthew Hoppe's situation at the club.

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…

It is fair to say that it has not worked out for striker Matthew Hoppe since his move to Middlesbrough in the summer of 2022.

Despite failing to score in seven appearances for Mallorca, Boro paid a reported fee of £2.5 million to sign Hoppe from the Spanish side just over two years ago, but he has struggled to make an impact at the Riverside Stadium.

Hoppe's minutes have been incredibly limited during his time on Teesside, and he has had underwhelming loan spells with Scottish Premiership side Hibernian and MLS outfit San Jose Earthquakes in recent years.

The 23-year-old has not featured for Boro since the 2022-23 season, and he was not even given a squad number at the start of the current campaign, suggesting he is not part of head coach Michael Carrick's long-term plans.

The Northern Echo reported last month that Boro were trying to find a new club for Hoppe, with hopes that the opening of the MLS window would result in some interest, but a move did not materialise, and with two years left on his contract at the club, the former USA international is in a difficult position.

Middlesbrough fan pundit on Matthew Hoppe's future

FLW's Middlesbrough fan pundit Phil Spencer admits he was surprised that Hoppe did not depart the Riverside Stadium this summer, and he says he needs to leave the club in the near future to get his career back on track.

"Matthew Hoppe is a player that I'm staggered is still at Middlesbrough," Phil said.

"He arrived a couple of seasons ago, he came in as a development player and he has never really been anywhere near the first team.

"I've had a season ticket for the last couple of seasons, and I struggle to remember how many times I've actually seen him in the flesh.

"He's been a bit of an enigma.

"As I said, he came in as a development player, the hope was that he would maybe spend a bit of time in the development team and a couple of loans would help him get up to speed, but it has never happened.

"Even his loan spells have been underwhelming, he headed back to America, but didn't do a huge amount as far as I can recall.

"It really is an interesting situation with regards to him.

"The other night, Middlesbrough's Under-23s were playing, and I was expecting to see Matthew Hoppe in the team, but he was nowhere in sight.

"As far as his future is concerned, he certainly doesn't have a future at Middlesbrough at first team level.

"He's nowhere near the first team, so it does feel like he'll be allowed to move on at some point in the future, hopefully on a permanent basis because his future doesn't lie at the Riverside.

"Middlesbrough did spend a good couple of million on signing him, so he does seem like a player we would be making a definite loss on.

"As far as the lad is concerned, I'm not sure what the circumstances are behind why his Middlesbrough career has gone so far off the boil, but I think from his point of view, it's very, very important that he gets his career back on track, even if that means going back over to America and reigniting things over there.

"It's been a really disappointing signing as far as Middlesbrough are concerned, and I just don't really see a way back for him at the Riverside, particularly under Michael Carrick."

Matthew Hoppe signing was a rare Kieran Scott mistake at Middlesbrough

Boro head of football Kieran Scott has made few mistakes in the transfer market since his arrival on Teesside but Hoppe is one signing that he will be desperate to forget.

He showed plenty of potential during the early stages of his career at Schalke but after his disappointing spell at Mallorca, it was a surprise to see Boro spend £2.5 million on him.

It has been clear for a long time that Carrick is not a fan of Hoppe, so it is difficult to disagree with Phil that it is strange he is still at the club, but his lack of game time in recent years does make it tougher to offload him.