Mate Tuboly turned down Pompey’s advances in the summer - a decision he might now be regretting

Mate Tuboly. Do you remember him?

He was the DAC 1908 defensive midfielder who turned down a £1.3m move to Fratton Park in the summer as Pompey looked to reinforce their No6 position in John Mousinho’s first-team ranks.

However, the Hungary under-21 international’s decision to snub the Blues in the hope that ‘further opportunities’ transfer-wise would arise has dramatically backfired on him.

Tuboly has been overlooked for each of new manager Robert Klauß’s 12 match-day squads to date this season, with nothing to suggest that his circumstances are about to change.

That represents a huge climb down for a player who was considered one of DAC’s most valuable players last term, following 36 appearances in all competitions which were accompanied by three goals and two assists.

Those figures led to talk of an inevitable move away from the Slovak Super Liga outfit in the summer as the likes of Watford, Swansea and Bundesliga side Schalke circled.

Yet nothing materialised on those fronts, with Pompey’s unsuccessful move for the 22-year-old understood to be the only concrete offer received by DAC - an approach that was also quickly removed from the table.

In the meantime, new boss Klauß was tasked with preparing his side for the 2026-27 campaign and a season-opener against Bosnian side Velež Mostar in the second qualifying round of the Conference League.

And with DAC limited to the number of non-Slovak players they could name in their squad for the double header, the decision was taken to proceed without Tuboly.

That judgement paid off, with the Dunajská Streda progressing in Europe before being knocked out by Twente. They also currently sit top of the Super Liga with 20 points from their first eight games played.

Tuboly has subsequently been forced to watch on from the stands as fellow midfielders Samsindin Ouro and Julien Bationo hold the fort in Klauß’s engine room.

The international break will likely break this current period of inactivity, with the former Debrecen midfielder included in the latest Hungary under-21 squad.

Yet it could have been so much different for the player if he had accepted Pompey’s ‘serious’ offer.

Speaking on Tuboly’s situation, Klauß recently said: ‘Tuboly's situation is interesting. In March, his agent indicated that offers might arrive for him. He had a good season.

‘At the beginning of July, a concrete offer arrived from the English second tier, from Portsmouth. This was a serious offer.

‘His agent asked us to wait for further opportunities, but Portsmouth eventually withdrew their offer.

‘In the meantime, pre-season training began, and competition in the midfield became intense. The number of foreign players in the Conference League is limited, and Tuboly belongs among them, so he was left out of the squad based on a professional decision. ‘

Following their interest in Tuboly, the Blues turned their attention to Antalyaspor’s Jesper Ceesay, only for their €800,000 move for the Swedish-born Gambia international to fall through following work-permit issues.

In the end, IIyad Mohamed moved to Fratton Park from Portuguese side Casa Pia in the final week of the transfer window for a fee believed to be in the region of €300- €400k.

Mohamed’s only featured three times for Pompey so far, accumulating 22 minutes of match action. Yet, it’s still 22 minutes of game time more than what Tuboly has under his belt this season!

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