‘Prove I’m the best’: Portsmouth flop's stock soaring as former Sunderland man earns move
Things didn’t go a planned after his £200,000 arrival from Sunderland, but Denver Hume has bounced back in League Two.
His Fratton stay was deemed an expensive failure as his Pompey career failed to hit its anticipated heights.
Denver Hume arrived at Fratton Park for £200,000 in 2022, a weighty fee for the Blues at the time as they speculated to build a progressive League One squad under Danny Cowley.
Pompey flop only bettered by Mo Salah, Josh Murphy and Tom Fellows
But injury issues hindered the left-sided player’s time at PO4, with a prolapsed disc in Hume’s back leading to related calf problems and the Sunderland arrival then finding himself out of favour under John Mousinho.
It meant Hume’s Fratton stay consisted of just 11 League One starts amid 31 outings, before he left to join Grimsby Town at the end of last year’s January window.
After starting his career at the Stadium of Light and then moving from Pompey to Blundell Park it may have looked like the 26-year-old’s career was dropping at a rate of knots, but Hume’s time with the Mariners provided him with the perfect platform to rebuild his career.
A storming 2024-25 campaign with the Mariners saw Hume’s side miss out on a play-off spot on the final day of the campaign, after a 1-0 home defeat by AFC Wimbledon.
It was the Ashington-born man’s contribution to David Artell’s side success, with Hume contributing a whopping 12 league assists and 14 in all competitions.
That was a return bettered by just Mo Salah, Pompey’s Josh Murphy and West Brom’s Tom Fellows in the top four divisions of English football.
That led to talk of a number of clubs, including League One Lincoln being keen on signing the free agent this summer, but it was League Two side Fleetwood who last night announced Hume’s capture on a two-year deal.
Hume: I want to be the best in League Two
Now the player is out to show his success was not a flash in the pan, with some big ambitions for himself and his new team next term.
Hume told Fleetwood’s official website: ‘I’m delighted to get it over the line, I’m looking forward to meeting the boys and getting started
‘After speaking to the gaffer I could see his goals align with mine, I want to play for a team chasing promotion.
‘I want to get get back to League One, if you look at Fleetwood they are a League One club - so that’s the aim.
‘I’m an attacking left-back or wing-back, I like to get forward but as a full-back you’re expected to defend well and that’s your job first and foremost.
‘But I like to get forward and help the team create chances - that’s something I’ll be looking to do again this season.
‘The manager has said that to me (he wants him to attack), I was disappointed not to score last season and I probably had a couple of chances where I could’ve scored.
‘But to get that number of assists last season was pleasing, I’ll be looking to build on it and that’s something I’ll back myself to do.
‘I’d love to reach those numbers again and that’s something I’ll be looking to do moving forward.
‘It was a good season form and I only missed one game in the league, so in terms of that it was a good season and to then get that amount of assists, that’s obviously a big part of my game so that was pleasing as well.
‘But I want to build on that and prove I can do it again and back it up - that’s what I’ll be looking to do.
‘Personally I want to build on last season and prove I’m the best left-back in League Two.’