Middlesbrough set to beat Stoke City to sign 22-year-old

Silvera had been the subject of interest from several teams – but he looks set for Teesside.

Middlesbrough are closing in on a $1m+ deal to recruit Central Coast Mariners winger Sammy Silvera, a report from FTBL has revealed.

Michael Carrick’s side are now getting busy in the transfer market, with Rav van den Berg and Alex Gilbert also closing in on moves to the Riverside as Boro look to establish themselves as early favourites for promotion.

Falling at the penultimate hurdle last year against Coventry City, they will be keen to go all the way this time, but may not rely on experience to get them back to the Premier League if their likely signings are anything to go by.

Who else was in the race for Sammy Silvera?

Stoke City and Plymouth Argyle reportedly matched Boro’s offer with their bids also being accepted – and there were five offers accepted in total according to FTBL.

Four of these offers came from the Championship – but one side that didn’t manage to make a breakthrough in negotiations was Hearts – who didn’t match the bids that other sides had put in.

Interestingly, there was an offer from Japan but instead of making that shorter trip to Asia, the winger has decided to make the switch to the UK.

Why has Sammy Silvera chosen Middlesbrough?

Silvera chose England because his mother lives in the English capital and works there too.

Although a move to Stoke may have made more sense because it’s closer to London, Silvera chose Boro specifically because they are likely to be promotion challengers next season following a solid 2022/23 campaign.

The Potters may also be in contention for promotion next term if they enjoy a successful summer – but they have spent much of the past five years in midtable.

Has Sammy Silver made the right decision on his future?

It looks as though this deal is all but completed, with the two teams needing to sort out the finer details before Silvera heads to the UK to undergo a medical.

This will come as a relief to the 22-year-old, who has probably made the right choice by making the move to Teesside.

Not only will Riley McGree help him to settle in as a fellow Australian – but he will have the opportunity to ply his trade under a very talented manager.

It feels as though he could have a big part to play at Boro too. Although he isn’t guaranteed to start straight away, the fact he’s a natural winger will allow Carrick’s team to fully utilise the width of the pitch.

Silvera and Isaiah Jones could stretch teams if they hug the touchline, so it will be interesting to see how the former is used by Carrick.

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Fulham and West Ham United both remain interested in striking a deal for Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse, according to yesterday’s report from the Daily Mail.

The same report has confirmed that other clubs are also in the race for him – but all interested teams want to see his £40m valuation come down.

Arguably, the Saints’ transfer stance on the England international has been weakened by their relegation to the Championship, but they have other assets they can sell instead of Ward-Prowse.

Romeo Lavia and Tino Livramento have been heavily linked with moves away from St Mary’s – and if one or both of them depart – that could potentially give the Saints the ability to retain Ward-Prowse who has been an integral figure for the south coast side in recent years.

When does James Ward-Prowse’s contract expire at Southampton?

Signing a five-year contract back in 2021, Ward-Prowse’s deal doesn’t expire for another three years yet and that has put them in a very strong position at the negotiating table.

A relegation release clause could have made it easier for him to seal an exit – but he hasn’t got one in his deal and that’s a regret the midfielder may have.

Euro 2024 isn’t too far away now – and he needs to be playing regularly in one of Europe’s top leagues to give himself the best opportunity of going to Germany next year.

Recording 19 goals and nine assists in the top flight during the past couple of seasons, he’s certainly worth a very decent amount of money.

His effectiveness from free kicks alone makes him a valuable player and his contract situation has maximised his value.

Not only this, but Ward-Prowse is arguably in the peak of his career and any side that wins the race for his signature this summer would be getting the finished package, so clubs should be paying extra for that.

Leicester City were able to demand a fee of around £40m for James Maddison not too long ago despite their relegation – and Maddison only had one year left on his contract at the King Power Stadium.

With this in mind, the Saints have every right to demand £40m for Ward-Prowse, although they should be willing to come to the negotiating table and reach a compromise.

If the player doesn’t try and force a move though, that could make it difficult for any interested side to recruit the midfielder this summer