Former Portsmouth flop set for Holland transfer after rebuilding career following Fratton Park disappointment

Elias Sorensen is poised to move to Holland after rebuilding his confidence following his Pompey struggles.

And Blues fans will be hoping the reported 425,000 Euro move will warrant a transfer windfall, should a sell-on clause be involved.

The striker failed to impress at Fratton Park following an August 2024 move from Esbjerg, where he had been prolific in the third tier of Danish football.

Despite scoring on his Blues debut at Leeds, the ex-Newcastle man swiftly fell away from the first-team frame and - five months after his arrival - was sold to Norwegian club Valerenga.

Now Sorensen is reportedly on the move again, having impressed during his 18 months with Valerenga after bouncing back strongly from his Pompey disappointment.

Proposed 425,000 Euro move to PEC Zwolle

According to journalist Farzam Abolhosseini, the 26-year-old is presently undergoing a medical ahead of a proposed 425,000 Euro move to Dutch top-flight club PEC Zwolle.

Zwolle, who played a pre-season friendly at Fratton Park in August 2025, finished 15th in the Eredivisie last season and are keen to bolster their squad.

Pompey largely recovered their £300,000 outlay when selling Sorensen in January 2025, representing decent business considering his underwhelming time on the south coast.

It remains to be seen whether the deal with Valerenga included a sell-on fee, thereby potentially earning the Blues a cut of any future transfer.

PEC Zwolle’s reported fee to land Sorensen converts to £367,000, which is likely to represent a profit for his Norwegian club, who are presently ninth in the Eliteserien.

The attacker, who can also operate on the left wing, has scored once in 11 outings so far this term, yet registered 12 goals and four assists in his maiden campaign.

Signed to replace Colby Bishop

Pompey had recruited Sorensen following the diagnosis of Colby Bishop’s heart issues and, encouragingly, he netted just 23 minutes into his debut at Leeds.

However, the Dane started just three more matches for the club and, by the time of his departure, he had totalled 23 minutes over the previous 13 fixtures.

Undoubtedly, Bishop’s return to action ahead of schedule impacted on Sorensen’s playing time and the Blues wasted no time in cutting their losses once the January 2025 transfer window opened.

‘A multitude of reasons’

At the time of Sorensen’s departure, John Mousinho told The News: ‘We didn’t want to stop Eli from having that opportunity, he wasn’t playing a huge amount here and we didn’t want to stand in his way. We certainly didn't want to stand in his way in terms of forwarding his career.

‘Our initial take - and in terms of where we were with our transfer policy in the summer - was that Colby would be out until January. He obviously came back a lot more quickly and Eli struggled for minutes recently with a combination of many, many things.

Get access to trustworthy local news for just £5 when you sign up for a digital subscription to The News

‘Initially we didn’t think him leaving was something we’d be able to get done because of the fact he had already played for one club before joining us, but there are slightly different rules with him going to Norway.

‘There are always a multitude of reasons when a player doesn’t get picked, part of which is Eli was unlucky. When he played, he certainly gave us everything and certainly put a shift in.

‘You never know what the sliding doors moments are. If he puts the penalty in against Oxford United, all of a sudden his confidence is boosted and he gets a couple more. You never know what the difference will be.

‘That didn’t happen, but that’s one example of where things might have changed and been a bit different.’

Sorensen’s last start was at Cardiff in October 2024, when he was withdrawn at half-time with the Blues trailing 2-0.

Your Next Pompey Read: Open for business: The key positions Portsmouth must urgently strengthen in transfer window