View: Sam Silvera can be moulded into the complete winger Portsmouth need to replace Abu Kamara
Portsmouth can mould loan signing Sam Silvera into a player even more impactful than last year’s loanee Abu Kamara over the course of this season.
The Australian winger arrived at Fratton Park last week on a season-long loan deal from Middlesbrough, having made 37 Championship appearances following a move to Teesside from Down Under.
Despite question marks over the 23-year-old’s consistency, there is evidence to suggest that with the right coaching from John Mousinho and his staff to fine-tune it, the attributes are there in both an attacking and defensive point of view for Silvera to excel.
Pompey were disappointed to learn of Norwich City’s failure to earn promotion via last season’s play-offs, as it effectively ruled out the chance to retain the impactful Abu Kamara for a second season.
Portsmouth can shape Silvera into crucial winger
If Portsmouth get it right, Silvera can have a massive impact at Fratton Park this season.
Though primarily a left-winger on the opposite side to Kamara, the Socceroo can operate across the frontline and has the work ethic to contribute effectively both in attack and defence.
Last season with Boro, Silvera was in the top bracket of ball-winners and tacklers among those in his position – he averaged a 73.3% success rate of his challenges attempted, and blocked more than one shot per game (even more impressive given he only completed five full matches in 2023-24). He is also a hard-working presser high upfield, which complements Mousinho’s intense style of defending from the front, averaging one ball win in the final third per match – potentially vital [FotMob].
According to FBRef, Silvera made 66 ball recoveries for Middlesbrough last term, which equals a ball win around once every 20 minutes of play; Kamara made 46 combined tackles and interceptions, averaging a ball recovery every 70 minutes [FBRef].
In addition, Silvera is a disciplinary dream – he was not shown a single card last season and has in fact only racked up 10 yellows in 141 career matches to date [Soccerway], without a single sending-off; Kamara was cautioned eight times last year, forcibly limiting his subsequent defensive contribution in these matches.
Lastly, FotMob shows that going forward, the Australian outranks 94% of fellow Championship wide players with attempts at goal – Silvera had 46 shots in 1,354 minutes of league action last term, with an xG of 4.2 goals; Kamara had just 12 more attempts in almost triple the game time and ranked below 70% of League One for this statistic in the past year.
While Kamara’s output was unquestionable and brought its own dynamism to Mousinho’s team, Silvera can bring different strengths which suit Pompey’s style of play, particularly when expecting far less possession than last campaign against weaker opponents.
In other Portsmouth news, Mousinho admits his focus has prioritised training over transfers.
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