Credit: Imago/ Hasan Karim

Andrew Beharie

Sun 20 July 2025 8:00, UK

John Swift has become one of Portsmouth’s biggest signings this summer.

Swift, 30, has moved to Fratton Park on a free transfer following the expiration of his West Brom contract.

The Englishman made an acrimonious departure from The Hawthorns, being booed by Baggies fans as West Brom missed out on the play-offs.

Pompey continued their pre-season campaign with a behind-closed-doors friendly against Crawley, after the original fixture in front of fans was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.

Swift impresses in limited minutes vs Crawley

Portsmouth beat Crawley 1-0 at Copnor Road to continue their perfect start to pre-season.

Connor Ogilvie scored the only goal for John Mousinho‘s side, lashing the ball home after the Red Devils failed to clear a corner properly.

Swift started in midfield for Pompey and was able to settle in quickly at his new club.

The midfielder was given just half an hour of action before being replaced by Andre Dozzell, as Mousinho looks to get the Englishman up to speed before the new campaign.

Swift’s notable contribution was playing a brilliant first-time pass down the right wing for Paddy Lane to run onto.

Swift needs to keep up impressive performance for Portsmouth

The move for the central midfielder was met with some surprise, especially given the high wages he was earning at West Brom.

Swift’s first minutes will be an encouragement for the Pompey supporters, but he will need to maintain his performance to be a success at Fratton Park.

On his day, Swift can be one of the best attacking talents in the Championship, but the issue is that he hasn’t been able to bring consistency to his game.

If he can perform consistently on the South Coast, he will quickly become a favourite among the Pompey faithful.

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