Portsmouth’s £1m flop finds new home after Fratton exit
The Bafana Bafana international has found a new home, after a disappointing stay at Fratton Park.
Luke Le Roux has completed a move to Belgium after his Fratton departure.
The man who departed PO4 after his contract was torn up just 12 months after his £1m arrival, has agreed a two-year deal with Pro League outfit Cercle Brugge.
Cercle Brugge technical director on Le Roux: ‘Speed, energy, and quality on the ball’
Le Roux endured a disappointing stay at Fratton Park, after joining from Swedish outfit IFK Varnamo in the summer of last year.
That led the Blues making it clear the South Africa international could leave in the last transfer window, as the club upped their transfer spending.
A transfer couldn’t be found before 11pm on September 1, prompting Pompey to come to a settlement with the player over the remaining two years of his contract.
That left Le Roux free to find new employers, with Brugge confirmed as his destination last night with his new team sat 14th in the formative table.
Cercle Brugge technical director, Luciano Murchio, welcomed the addition of a player of the 26-year-old’s experience.
He said: ‘Luke is a player with valuable experience, both as an international and in competitive leagues such as the Swedish Allsvenskan and the Championship.
‘With his speed, energy, and quality on the ball, he brings extra options to our midfield.
‘He complements the profiles we already have in the core well, and we look forward to seeing him on the pitch in Groen-Zwart.’
Speaking over Le Roux’s Pompey stay this week, John Mousinho expressed disappointment at it not working out for the popular figure at Fratton Park.
Mousinho admitted he was ‘gutted’ over how things unfolded for the midfielder and stated he feels he will be successful elsewhere.
He said: ‘It didn't work out for Luke over the time he was here. He probably came in during difficult circumstances and could never quite get himself going.
‘He came in late in the window, wasn't quite fit, and, when we did play him, by the time he got into the side we were in that run post the first international break when we weren’t performing particularly well.
‘That was probably a difficult thing for Luke. We couldn't quite get him going, so we wanted to give him the opportunity to go and explore another move.
‘He could have sat here and been out of the squad for the next four or five months until January - or tried to explore something else.
‘He's a very, very nice kid and I think he's a good footballer as well. If he gets his chance and plays regularly, then he’ll be fine.
‘I'm a bit gutted that it didn't work out for Luke, sometimes it just doesn't in recruitment. That was one who we wanted to give an opportunity to.
‘He’ll be a success elsewhere. We bought him in for a reason, but sometimes it's just circumstance - and I do think that with Luke. I’m sure he'll do well somewhere else.’