Middlesbrough have confirmed they are poised to sign Jeremy Sarmiento permanently when the summer transfer window opens, turning a January loan into a full move for the winger.
The 24-year-old, who turns 24 next month, arrived on Teesside after spending the first half of the season with Serie A strugglers Cremonese, where he was unable to help them avoid relegation. He was viewed as part of Middlesbrough's push for automatic promotion when he came back to England, but he made only five starts and appeared off the bench on 14 occasions.
Two of those substitute outings came in the play-offs, including a late appearance in the final as Middlesbrough lost 1-0 to Hull City. The team scored only one goal across three games in the campaign, a limp return for a side that had hoped to turn momentum into promotion. Southampton were also spotted spying on Middlesbrough during one of their training sessions, a detail that gave the run a strange edge and added to the sense of a bid that never fully settled.
The move to make Sarmiento's deal permanent fits a club still backing the former Benfica and Charlton prospect after seasons in which he helped Ipswich and Burnley into the Premier League. It also follows a period in which he missed out on the Ecuador squad for the World Cup finals, leaving the coming campaign as a chance to rebuild rhythm and shape a more sustained contribution next season.
For Middlesbrough, the decision is straightforward: they have seen enough to keep him. For Sarmiento, the next step is less about promise than output, after a season that had flashes of usefulness but not the consistency to change a promotion race.
