Christian Saydee: John Mousinho helped me quit Portsmouth
Christian Saydee has left Portsmouth, sealing a move to Wigan Athletic.
The 23-year-old has made the move to League One after undergoing a medical in the week.
Although he made himself popular with supporters, the forward scored just three times for Portsmouth last season, not doing enough to convince that he could be a starting option in the final third.
Instead, Saydee has made the move for an undisclosed fee, which Portsmouth will be looking to reinvest in the squad, as they prepare for another season of Championship football.
Saydee opens up on Portsmouth exit
Saydee did make 29 Championship appearances last season, but just 10 of those were starts.
Therefore, it is quite clear what the forward’s expected role would be next term, although John Moshinho would have been fairly happy for him to be an option from the bench.
Saydee has now revealed that it was he who decided to call time on his spell in the South Coast, although he was helped by his manager.
Speaking to The News (22 June), the 23-year-old said: “The gaffer was a big part of me leaving, we went over it in my end-of-season meeting.
“I went to him more as a friend for advice rather than a manager, and he advised me. I was 22 at the time, and also, considering my time at the club, at that point, I needed to play more games.
“We talked and he made me realise. That was a big moment for me. He was pleased I could possibly go out and get minutes somewhere else, but at the same time, he said he still wanted me around. However, he was never going to stand in my way if I wanted to get more matches elsewhere.
“That was a big thing. Most managers would go and screw you over, but he was open enough to allow me to go out and experience something else. He wanted to keep me, if I was still around, it would be nice, but he wasn’t going to stand in my way – and I thank him for that.”
Mousinho shows strengths off the pitch
While Saydee may have been a nice face to have around Fratton Park, it’s hard to argue against this being a deal that works well for all parties.
As he said himself, his minutes were limited with Pompey and making the move back down to League One should give him an opportunity to get going again.
| Season | League | Appearances | Goals |
| 2023/24 | League One | 36 | 2 |
| 2024/25 | Championship | 29 | 3 |
Meanwhile, Portsmouth have one of the smallest budgets in the league, and therefore, offloading a second-string player for a fee gives Mousinho something to reinvest in the side.
There is no doubt that the attitude of the manager and his openness with players has led to this resolution and he deserves plenty of credit for that.
Saydee is not leaving Pompey with any negative feelings from any party, but he is helping the Blues one last time by allowing a deal to happen that could have a strong knock-on effect.
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