Portsmouth flop set to replace Segecic at Sydney FC
Adrian Segecic is edging closer to finalising his move to Portsmouth.
The Australian hit 18 goals for Sydney FC last season, and is set to become the fourth Australian in Pompey’s first-team squad.
Meanwhile, Sydney are looking to replace their star man with a player familiar to the Fratton faithful.
Sydney FC look to Sam Silvera to replace star man Segecic
Portsmouth won’t pay a transfer fee for Segecic as his contract is set to expire, although a small sum of compensation will be due as per the rules regarding homegrown players aged under 21.
He will join fellow Australians Thomas Waddingham, Hayden Matthews and Jacob Farrell at Fratton Park.
But it’s one of Pompey’s former Australian stars who is being targeted as a replacement for Segecic at Sydney.
According to the Row Z FC podcast (17 June), Sydney are planning a move for Sam Silvera, a winger who spent a few months on loan at Portsmouth last season.
Silvera was loaned from Middlesbrough but the deal was cut short as he wasn’t able to break into the Pompey first team as often as desired.
Middlesbrough then loaned him out to Blackpool in League One, but he hardly set the bushes on fire there either.
A big season lies ahead for Portsmouth’s Australian stars
Portsmouth have deliberately targeted the Australian A-League as a source of untapped talent, and will now have four players from that league in their squad for next season.
Waddingham, Matthews and Farrell have all shown potential before their seasons were cut short by nasty injuries.
Segecic’s scoring record suggests he could be the pick of the bunch, although he will need to prove he can bring his eye for goal over to England.
| Appearances | Minutes Played | Goals | Assists |
| 35 | 1956 | 18 | 3 |
It will be a big season for all four of these players, as they each look to establish a regular place in Portsmouth’s starting XI.
Each of them can make a name for themselves in a Portsmouth shirt and establish themselves as a star in the Championship.
As things stand, they each also still have the opportunity to become the next Silvera; a player with heaps of potential that ultimately went unfulfilled.
It will be interesting to see which route these players take.
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