'It's a positive' - Why Jacob Farrell believes he's in good place to 'move on' from Portsmouth 'bad time'
Jacob Farrell has been speaking for the first time following his latest Pompey exit on loan
Jacob Farrell believes he’s in a position to put the ‘bad time’ he suffered at Pompey firmly behind him.
The positive-thinking Aussie thinks his body is in the right shape now to help him move on from an injury-plagued stint at Fratton Park, thanks primarily to nearly two years of work in the gym.
And he’s hoping new club Sydney FC will benefit from him pumping iron in Hilsea after the defender completed a loan move to the A-League outfit last week.
The 23-year-old’s switch to the New South Wales side is a season-long agreement, with Sydney reportedly having the option to make it a permanent move at the end of the campaign.
The transfer represents the left-back’s third spell in Australian football having spent the second half of last term on loan at Western Sydney Wanderers, who Farrell is in line to face on the opening day of the new A-League season next month.
It’s a fixture the Socceroos under-23 international has firmly in his sights after just three outings for Pompey following his move from Central Coast Mariners back in the summer of 2024.
It will also present him with the opportunity to end his latest spell on the sidelines, after he suffered a groin issue in April.
That’s one of many lengthy injuries Farrell has picked up while on the books of the Blues.
Yet the defender has turned those dark moments into a positive and believes his experiences at Pompey will help him kick-start his career in Sydney.
Farrell on his time at Pompey
Speaking about his time at Fratton Park, Farrell told Sydney’s website: ‘I went over there and got injured straight away so that didn’t help me off the bat.
‘The injuries just kept coming and then trying to get back into the squad was hard, it’s very competitive over there.
‘I think I’ve spent a lot of time in the gym the last two years, not that I wanted to but because of injuries and other things.
‘That’s definitely helped me, and I think it’s a positive within the bad time at Portsmouth due to injuries. I’ve got my body in a good position to move on now.’
Farrell considered a centre-back option for Sydney
The signing of Brentford left-back Jayden Meghoma freed up Pompey to sanction another loan move for Farrell, who remains contracted at Fratton Park until 2028.
That permission was granted despite Connor Ogilvie requiring a second knee operation in the summer.
Farrell’s departure also came just days before injuries to centre-back duo Benjy Arthur and Conor Shaughnessy.
The centre of defence is not somewhere the Fratton faithful were led to believe the Aussie could feature.
But as Pompey consider their centre-back options over the international break, Farrell has revealed it’s a position he could play during his stint with Sydney.
‘He (Sydney head coach Patrick Kisnorbo) mentioned when I first started talking to him that I can play in a couple of positions along the back lines, something that I’ve kind of adapted to over the last few years of my career,’ said Farrell.
‘I’m happy that I can play centre back, left back, and he spoke to me about that. So there’s options there for him to play me wherever. It’s definitely a positive.’
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