‘See what Portsmouth's done’: Socceroos boss Tony Popovic hails Blues for A-League interest
Pompey currently have four Australian players in their squad after signing Adrian Segecic this summer.
Pompey are blazing a trail for Aussie footballers in England.
That’s the key verdict of Socceroos boss Tony Popovic, who is praised the Blues for shinning a spotlight on the A-League market.
John Mousinho’s men have turned their attention to the Australian top flight in recent years, with the head coach heralding the value in the division.
Over recent seasons, Pompey have taken to huge liking to the league, first scouting Kusini Yengi from Western Sydney Wanderers in 2023.
Jacob Farrell then made the move to Fratton Park 12 months later, before the arrivals of Thomas Waddingham and Hayden Matthews in January. The defender became the first player signed by the Blues for over £1m since John Marquis in 2019.
Mousinho’s men dipped back into the A-League to secure the signature of last term’s joint-top scorer Adrian Segecic, with Pompey fending off interest from clubs across the globe.
With four Antipodean talents now in the Blues’ ranks, Popovic has hailed the new coverage the Aussie top flight has received from clubs in England, which has been provided by Pompey.
But the Socceroos boss has also highlighted the adjustment players need to make before they move to England.
Pompey praised for A-League interest
He told the Sydney Morning Herald: ‘It's great. We want them to be successful, all of them, because then it may transfer into other coaches that say, 'OK, see what Portsmouth's done, moulded these very good players, maybe some of them move on to bigger clubs - why don't we look at that market as well?'
‘So them being successful can really shape the future a little bit of other clubs taking a chance - because you still take a chance on an A-League player, a young player, can he fit into that?
‘Maybe more coaches or more sporting directors and clubs will do that.
‘We gave Hayden Matthews a debut in Bahrain in a pressure game at 20 years of age, so they can obviously see something as well.
‘But you can see also that Waddingham, injured for a long time, Farrell, injured for a long time.
‘The adjustment is difficult. It's difficult, physically. The pre-season training, the intensity, the backing up every three days, it's not easy.’
Championship sides making moves for Aussie talents
Pompey aren’t alone in taking an interest to the A-League and Aussie talents this summer.
QPR sealed a move for highly-rated right-back Kealey Adamson from Macarthur FC for an undisclosed fee in June.
Meanwhile, Socceroos international Nestroy Irankunda made the switch to Watford earlier in the week from Bayern Munich.
Mousinho revealed, however, the Blues are unlikely to dip back into the Australian market in the remaining months of the transfer window.
He told The News in June: ‘I think we may have run out of air miles! It’s a great market for us, it’s a very different market.
‘To bring the top scorer in from any other league in the world, I don’t think that really happens in the Championship. There’s a real market there for us.
‘We thought with some of the boys we brought over, we took Tom and Jacob for lower fees if you compare them to Hayden. They represent the kind of value you don’t pick up in this country.’