'You've got to be thinking...' - Portsmouth trio's futures on the line as transfer exits mooted
Pompey will need to ‘trim the fat’ is they are to make significant improvements to their Championship squad over the summer
Hayden Matthews, Harvey Blair and Luke Le Roux were among the five changes Pompey head coach John Mousinho made for last Saturday’s trip Stoke City.
The on-the-fringes trio were given their chance to remind the Fratton faithful and their boss exactly what they have to offer as focus begins to shift towards a third year in the Championship.
But while all three contributed to a 3-1 win at the bet365.com Stadium, doubts have emerged whether they’ll get many more opportunities to stake their claims to be part of the Blues’ first-team set-up moving forward.
Indeed, in the opinon of The News’ Jordan Cross, Matthews, Blair and Le Roux might actually be gone, either on loan or permanently, by the time the summer transfer window closes on Monday, August 31.
Why time might be running out for on-the-fringes Pompey trio
Between them, Matthews, Blair and Le Roux have amassed just 18 starts over the course of the 2025-26 season, which is not the sort of return the Blues would have been expecting when they stumped up transfer fees to bring them to Fratton Park.
Matthews cost Pompey in the region of £1.2m when he was signed from Sydney FC in January 2025; Le Roux cost the Blues £1m when he joined from Swedish outfit Värnamo last summer; while Blair was a £300,000 acquisition from Liverpool in 2024.
Their time spent at Fratton Park also equates to a combined league appearance total of 48, which is just north of Regan Poole’s figure of 40 outings for this season alone.
And as others around them bypass them in their respective position’s pecking order, Cross can be forgiven for believing time is running out on their PO4 careers.
Cross: ‘(They) may not be at Fratton Park come the end of the summer’
Speaking on their futures in the latest episode of Pompey Talk, the Blues writer said: ‘Maybe a loan would be the right thing for Hayden Matthews next season, given the number of centre-backs options they (Pompey) have got.
‘If they did want another one, then certainly you'd think, in terms of (Jojo) Dia, he’s one they'd want to develop and probably keep at the club. He seems to be slightly above Hayden in the pecking order at the moment.
‘John gave players a chance (against Stoke). One or two players like him, like Luke Le Roux, like Harvey Blair, it was a chance to stake their claim.
‘I sat there half an hour in thinking: “Blimey, these players aren't taking that opportunity”. I didn't think that anyone was particularly stepping up.
‘I thought Hayden was fine. He's confident on the ball. He's good in possession, which Jojo's not, if I'm frank. So, yeah, there is that, but maybe a loan for him.
‘I thought Harvey didn't quite step up, but then got his assist, which digged him out of what was a below-par performance, I thought, really.
‘And I thought Luke Le Roux... to his credit, I've given him some flak this season, or constructive criticism as I like to call it, but that was a good performance.
‘I think that was about as good a performance as you can expect from Luke Le Roux (though). The sad thing is, it’s still not good enough.
‘So, again, that's going to be (something Pompey will have to think about) with these players. They've got to trim the fat, haven't they?
‘To make it work, just to make business sense, and within the confines of the 25-man EFL squad, these players, you've got to be thinking about the trio we've just mentioned there, all three of them, loan or permanently, may not be at Fratton Park come the end of the summer.’
Matthews is under contract at Pompey until 2029. Le Roux’s contract runs until 2028, while Blair still has a year left on his Fratton Park deal.
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