Remembered for the wrong reasons: The costly Portsmouth summer transfer flop now in Fratton folklore
The French winger was a Fratton Park flop after just 11 appearances this season
Sammy Silvera watched Middlesbrough’s heartbreak unfold from the substitutes’ bench at St Mary’s.
Although not called upon for Tuesday night’s play-off semi-final second leg against Southampton, the Australian winger had featured three times in their Championship run-in after recently re-emerging from a three-month injury lay-off.
The 25-year-old was involved 22 times for Boro this season, including eight league starts, and scored twice, having bounced back from a disastrous 2024-25 which consisted of underwhelming loans at Pompey and Blackpool.
Such were the extent of his Fratton Park struggles, Silvera was recalled by a sympathetic Middlesbrough in January 2025 to spare him further woe after Blues fans had turned on the winger in a 3-0 loss at Bristol City.
There was no such escape route offered to Florian Bianchini, however, whose Fratton Park stay was considerably more ineffective than the Australian international's forgettable tenancy.
Swansea refused to recall him
With Pompey not possessing the power to cancel the Frenchman’s loan at the halfway mark - and parent club Swansea having absolutely no interest in reintegrating the Frenchman within their own squad - he was forced to remain.
While Bianchini saw out the season with the Blues, he never made another appearance after November 2025, albeit an absence not purely down to selection preference.
Regardless, with just 11 outings, he will forever serve as the poster boy for a poor summer of recruitment in 2025. Like Silvera, he also represents another cautionary tale of loaning in out-of-favour players from fellow Championship clubs.
The decisive moment in the winger’s Fratton Park unravelling can perhaps be traced back to Sheffield Wednesday in September 2025.
Already unconvinced by early-season showings from the former £2m man, the Fratton faithful subsequently witnessed a dreadful display which epitomised his south-coast stay.
Amid the Owls claiming one of only two Championship victories all season, Bianchini promised much in his constant forays down the left wing, driving menacingly towards the bottom club’s penalty area.
Yet his final delivery was abysmal on each and every occasion. Whether sending his crosses soaring beyond the back post or crashing them into the side-netting at the near post, it was an infuriatingly wasteful performance.
Relegated to the bench after Sheffield Wednesday shocker
Subsequently relegated to the bench for the following match at Ipswich, he would feature just three times over the next nine Championship fixtures as Mousinho looked elsewhere among his squad for an attacking solution.
There was a surprise return to the starting XI against Millwall in November, coinciding with a fine 3-1 success, albeit on the right flank. While he kept his place for a 3-0 loss at Sheffield United, when Terry Devlin’s dismissal had reduced Pompey to 10-men.
Bianchini was then restored to the role of an unused substitute against Bristol City, followed by being unable to appear against parent club Swansea on December 9 - after which he didn’t feature for Pompey again.
A persistent issue with tendonitis in his knee was primarily the cause, leading to Mousinho not even registering the loanee in his 25-man Football League squad in February.
Despite having vacant slots, the Blues opted to wait on the fitness of Harvey Blair, Josh Knight and Bianchini before deciding which of the three would fill the two available places.
Surprisingly, Bianchini received the green light in April, being registered in time for the Fratton Park clash with Ipswich. Named among the substitutes, it represented his first squad involvement in four-and-a-half months.
Pompey debut promised much
Pompey won 2-0 that night in a huge boost to survival hopes, although the Frenchman was not called upon from the bench. He was subsequently left out of the final four matches of the season.
There had once been promise, namely an encouraging 20-minute debut in the Blues’ final pre-season friendly against PEC Zwolle in August 2025, when Bianchini set up Thomas Waddingham for a late winner.
The Swansea man had arrived three days earlier on a season-long loan, with Pompey hopeful of bringing out his best after a disappointing maiden season in south-west Wales.
‘We had an extensive look at the work he did in France previous to making that move, when Swansea paid a good transfer fee for him. I think we can get him back to where he was. We saw some good glimpses on Saturday and, if we do, I think we’ve got a good player.’
Unfortunately, Bianchini turned out to be one of Pompey’s worst loan recruits of recent times. Sammy Silvera can now sleep easy.