Hayden Matthews contract length signifies future Portsmouth importance
Portsmouth completed the signing of Australian defender Hayden Matthews earlier this week, as he signed a four-and-a-half-year deal at Fratton Park.
The contract length is a huge commitment from both parties, in a deal for an undisclosed fee to take him from the A-League’s most successful club, Sydney FC after months of interest.
Matthews, 20, joins fellow recent signing Thomas Waddingham – who netted a debut goal during Saturday’s defeat at West Brom (25 January), as well as Kusini Yengi and Jacob Farrell in a growing contingent from Down Under in PO4.
The towering centre-half possesses aerial ability as well as a comfort in possession, ideal for the blend required for the Championship in tandem with how John Mousinho likes to play.
Pompey remain in the market for further additions before the transfer deadline on 3 February; departures are also expected to take place with numerous fringe players in search of game time and the Blues needing to free up squad places for the remainder of the league campaign.
Hayden Matthews could be huge success in England with Portsmouth
Having spent the 2023-24 season working in Australian football – a large majority of that stint with Sydney FC at the Allianz Stadium – I watched plenty of Matthews in sky blue before his English move.
Starting the season as an academy prospect, he made his senior league debut early in the campaign and rapidly went on to become a first-choice centre-half for Ufuk Talay’s side.
Matthews is a commanding presence at the back despite his tender age and looks to have the ever-building physical stature to compete in the Championship, and general style of English football.
He is also adept on the ball and has excellent intelligence on the pitch to start attacks on the ground, get Pompey going on the transition and pick out more creative teammates ahead of him.
The youngster will be expected to compete well in both boxes, and most importantly of all he has his head screwed on, and looks to come from very good stock back home. He will know the increased challenge that awaits him, the advanced level of attackers he will be up against.
I’ve always considered the A-League in recent years to be about the equivalent standard to mid-table in League One; some Australians agree, some naturally disagree. Matthews will endure a step up, but the length of the contract he has signed shows everything you need to know about how Pompey see him by the time he hits his mid-twenties.
Once he adapts to the UK lifestyle and being 10,000 miles from home comforts – hopefully a factor made much easier by the fellow Aussies around him on a daily basis – Matthews could be one extremely tidy investment at Fratton Park.
In other Portsmouth news, Jed Wallace opens up on his love for the Blues after scoring against them for West Brom on Saturday.
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