please log in to view this image Pompey have completed the signing of 26 year old defender , 6' 4" Rob Atkinson on a loan deal from Bristol City for the remainder of the season. please log in to view this image John Mousinho: “Rob is a proven Championship centre-half, who is excellent defensively and very dominant. “He can also handle bringing the ball out from the back, so we’re delighted to welcome him to the club.”
Elias Sorensen has left Pompey - after just five months at Fratton Park. The Danish striker has today joined Norwegian side Valerenga for an undisclosed fee, bringing an end to a disappointing Blues spell. The former Newcastle man scored 23 minutes into his Pompey debut on the opening day of the season at Leeds. However, that proved to be his only goal in 13 appearances as he struggled to make an impact in the Championship.
please log in to view this image Pompey have been linked with a move for 27 year old Preston North End's 5' 9" midfielder Ryan Ledson. There are three other clubs interested in signing him, including Oxford United. He has been described as an aggressive, ball-playing central midfielder - just what we need!!
please log in to view this image Pompey are interested in signing 26 year old Hearts and Australia central midfielder Cammy Devlin. That's according to our friends at the Edinburgh Evening News, who says that Devlin has a growing number of suitors. Pompey aren't the only team said to be keen on Devlin with New York City in the MLS also among his admirers. The EEN say that it could cost Pompey just over £280,000 to land the midfielder who has four caps for the Australian national team. His contract at Tynecastle Park that he only signed four months ago, runs until 2026. It is stated by the Evening News that Devlin is a player that Pompey have monitored for some time. They will decide whether to make an official offer before the winter transfer window closes. As for New York, they will have to create space in their squad to sign him. The MLS season doesn't begin until February, whereas Pompey's campaign is just over the halfway point. This season, he's been a key member of their team, playing 28 matches in total across four competitions. Devlin has missed just three games this term, and one was through suspension, proving that he is robust, and a player to be relied upon. Neil Critchley, the head coach at Hearts, described him as an ‘infectious’ character, and discussed his energetic and combative style of play. "He's been terrific," said boss Critchley to the BBC in December. "Absolutely outstanding. He covers every blade of grass. The amount of tackles and regains and interceptions he makes is brilliant. "He's an infectious character. He's so positive. He plays on the front foot. He's a real competitor. I love his attitude and I love the way he plays the game. I'm delighted for him." He is an international teammate of striker Kusini Yengi with the pair being in the same squads before. Devlin has been in and out of the side since making his debut in September 2022, making his debut against New Zealand, but was then out of the squad from October to June 2024.
please log in to view this image Pompey are also reportedly considering signing Australian teenage sensation 19 year old Thomas Waddingham. Born in Cairns, Australia, Waddingham is on the books of Brisbane Roar. He stands at 5” 11” and come through the academy ranks at Edge Hill United before joining Roar in 2021. He netted 12 goals in 29 games for Brisbane's youth team, and was promptly promoted to their first team in 2023. Waddingham has so far scored 15 goals in 40 games, with four coming this season. Also wanted by a number of other clubs including Sheff. Wednesday/QPR/Middlesbrough...and Spurs! He is an Australian U 20 international, reputed to be the 'new' Mark Viduka . Apparently, Brisbane Roar are under financial pressure to sell him, so who will be the highest bidder?!
please log in to view this image Pompey have completed the signing of Isaac Hayden on loan from Newcastle for the rest of the season, beating a number of other teams to his signing. He is a 29 year old 6' 2" defensive midfielder or centre half who has made 151 appearances; scoring 6 goals; for his present team.
I cannot see how this works. It will be potentially the same problem we have with Kamara and Blair. At an age where they need as much football as they can get they are getting virtually none. It does not sound as if he is ready to challenge for a first team place. Despite the poor rating Kamara got from Jordon Cross against Wycombe I thought he was very reasonable for a player that has had probably 90 minutes of substitute football in the past five months.
This lack of playing time illustrates weaknesses in Pompey's structure regarding the playing side. We really need to join the Elite Professional League so that these players can get regular playing time against the likes of AFC Bournemouth, Charlton, QPR etc fringe squad players. Mottoh is involved in this set up at AFC Bournemouth.
please log in to view this image Portsmouth have agreed a deal to sign Australia Under-23 striker Thomas Waddingham, BBC Radio Solent reports. The 19-year-old has four goals in 11 appearances this season for the Brisbane Roar in the Australian A League. As an under-21 player Waddingham will not count towards Portsmouth's 25 man squad limit.
Ides makes a good point with regard to the weakness in Pompey's structure. However, I do not understand the alternatives. Is the Elite Professional league the Under 21 's league? It appears to me that substitutions have killed what used to be reserve team football. In addition to eleven players we now have about eight first team substitutes that cannot risk injury in reserve football. So to field an all age reserve team (if there is still such a thing) you need a 1st team squad 19, and a reserve squad of at least 16 plus allowance for injuries. This exceeds the number of senior players you can register!! I presume this explains the current set up for bigger clubs where they have an under 21 side so the majority of players are young enough to not to be included in the registration limit. Whilst this does create opportunity for young players it also shows how the adoption of substitutes has made running clubs more expensive. I recall when substitutes were first introduced. The (good) intent was that games should not be spoilt by teams being reduced to ten men through injury. Initially there was only one substitute but over the years this has gradually increased. With only two or three on the bench it was unwise to introduce substitiutes for tactical reasons since injuries may occur. But nowadays the majority of substitutions are made for tactical rather than injury purposes. The modern footballer no longer has to be fit for 90 minutes of football. He may be asked to run himself into the ground for 60 minutes in the near certain knowledge that he can be replaced by fresh legs. I do not believe the advent of tactical substitutions has added to the spectacle of soccer and it seems to have made clubs more expensive to run. We are where we are I suppose so there is little point complaining but substantially reducing the numbers allowed on the bench would I believe make reserve team football of the old fashioned variety more viable for clubs like Pompey.
Paddy Lane’s season is over. The Pompey forward is not expected to play again for the Blues between now and the end of their Championship campaign after picking up a knee injury against Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday night. Lane fell to the Ewood Park turf unchallenged in the first half and was replaced at half-time by Isaac Hayden. He left the ground on crutches that night, with John Mousinho unable to provide any update on his condition during his Thursday press conference ahead of the game against Middlesbrough.
Very sad for him. Let's keep our fingers crossed that he makes a full recovery and is better than ever before!
please log in to view this image Pompey have ‘agreed a deal’ that will finally see them secure the signing of 6' 5" tall Australian centre-back Hayden Matthews, according to reports. Apparently a fee of £1.27 million pounds has been agreed between the two clubs. The Blues have had a long-standing interest in the Sydney FC defender, who they were keen to bring to Fratton Park at the back end of the summer transfer window. Those attempts ultimately failed, although Pompey's interest in the 20-year-old remained - something which The News reported back in November as the centre-half’s reputation in the A-League continued to soar. Indeed, Matthews has since made his international debut for the Socceroos and has been getting regular game time for his hometown club as they sit sixth in the standings. On Saturday, he made his 12th appearance of the season for Sydney in their 4-3 defeat to Brisbane Roar, who incidentally were without young striker Thomas Waddingham for the third match in a row as he closes in on a move to Fratton Park.
If these guys are as half as good as their cricketers, we might have a half decent team! Over 1m.sounds a lot for a player from the Oz League. What level does the top Oz división equate to in English FL terms?.Perhaps Down Under might have an idea!
A difficult question to answer Ides. These players are from what is called the A league in Australia which is the only national league. The competition is played in the Australian summer so that international breaks and transfer windows align with the northern hemisphere. This means they play on hard pitches in hot weather. As a result the pace of the games is slower than the English leagues. The skill level appears to be good and there is perhaps less "hoof ball.' The game in Australia has developed from the immigrant communities from all over Europe so it is a variant from the English style of play. Having said that the standard may roughly equate to something between the English divisions 1 & 2.It is definitely sub Championship standard. So recruiting from Australia equates to recruiting from the lower English divisions with the additional question mark as to whether the player can adapt to the faster pace.
Update:- Pompey have completed the signing of striker Thomas Waddingham from Brisbane Roar for an undisclosed fee. The 19-year-old Australian – who has represented his country up to under-23 level – has put pen to paper on a three-and-a-half-year deal. Blues boss John Mousinho said: “He’s a really exciting young player, who is coming over here with bags of potential. “Thomas has already made a real impact playing in the A-League this season and will be ready to come here and try to do the same for us in the Championship. “He works incredibly hard off the ball and scores goals, while is also a big physical presence, so we’re very much looking forward to working with him.” Waddingham joined the Brisbane Roar academy in 2019 and burst onto the scene in their Australian Cup run last season. He netted four times in the competition, including the opening goal in a 3-1 defeat to Sydney FC in the final. There were an additional seven strikes in the league, with four more following in the first half of the current campaign. Waddingham was named the club’s 2023/24 Young Player of the Season and earned a call-up to the under-20 Socceroos squad, scoring in matches against Denmark and the Netherlands.
please log in to view this image The Blues are being linked with 6' 4" Notts County forward Alassana Jatta. The 26-year-old has been in outstanding form for the League Two side this season. He’s scored 14 goals and four assists in 22 games for the Magpies, with Stuart Maynard’s side currently sitting fifth in the league table. That’s prompted Plymouth to bid £750,000 for the Gambia international. But according to The Guardian the Meadow Lane side are holding out for a higher fee, with Jatta contracted to the club until June 2026. Apparently, Notts County paid Danish club Viborg around 150,000 Euros for the player last Summer. The same report claims Pompey and League One Bolton are monitoring the situation closely.
