Ex-Portsmouth winger suffers Premier League heartbreak - two years after Fratton Park rejection
As an Academy player, the winger made five first-team appearances for the Blues in the 2023-24 season
A former Pompey youngster has suffered Premier League heartbreak.
Despite the promising winger making five first-team outings for John Mousinho’s side in the 2023-24 campaign as a second-year scholar, Pompey decided against offering professional terms.
Following his May 2024 departure, he trialled at Bournemouth and was subsequently handed a first professional deal, although was affiliated with the under-21s at the Vitality Stadium.
Now Mottoh, who had previously spent seven years with Arsenal’s Academy until the age of 14, is among 10 youngsters to be released by the Cherries.
He departs along with Noa Boutin, Zhaviah Campbell, Ashley Clarke, James Davies, Hayden McGhan, Ollie Morgan, Malachi Ogunleye, Charlie Osborne and Benjamin Purches.
However, promising goalkeeper Mack Allan, the grandson of Alan Ball, whose mother is Keely, has been retained by the Premier League club.
Pompey debut at the age of 16
Mottoh made his Pompey first-team debut as a substitute at Forest Green Rovers in the Carabao Cup in August 2023.
At the time the Academy winger was aged 16 and, over the next four months, he totalled five appearances in cup competitions, including two starts, although wasn’t involved in League One action.
However, an 11-minute outing off the bench against AFC Wimbledon in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy in December 2023 would prove to be his final involvement in Pompey’s squad.
The Blues were eliminated 5-2 by the League Two club in a match primarily remembered for Ryan Schofield’s struggles in goal, thereby ending the chance of more cup outings for the attacker.
Released by Pompey
Towards the end of that League One title-winning season, Mottoh spent two weeks training with the first-team as Mousinho agonised over whether to offer professional terms after his Academy graduation.
However, he opted against it and instead the 17-year-old joined his 10 fellow second-year scholars in leaving Fratton Park this summer, with none handed contracts.
Following Mottoh’s release in May 2024, Mousinho told The News: ‘In a weird way, we want Koby to prove us wrong because he’s a really good kid who has been part of the first-team squad this season and done really well for a 17-year-old.
‘They are difficult decisions to make because a 17-year-old versus the 23-year-old version of Koby could be very, very different.
‘You never know what’s going to go on with the player, but we need to look at it as a whole and ask do we think that, at some point, he’s going to be able to come in and affect the first-team?
‘That’s the skill of it - and sometimes you get them wrong.’
Signed by Bournemouth after successful trial
Mottoh subsequently joined Bournemouth in July 2024, having caught the eye of then under-18s Alan Connell when playing a starring role for Pompey in an EFL Youth Alliance game in December 2022.
The winger also netted against the Cherries in the Hampshire Senior Cup in March 2023, although a David Brooks hat-trick handed the Premier League club a 5-2 victory.
Now aged 19, Mottoh will be seeking to bounce back from his latest disappointment.