Alex Robertson, Portsmouth FC news will be a bitter pill to swallow for the Fratton Park faithful: View | OneFootball

The 21-year-old spent last season on loan at Pompey, but opted for a move to Wales in the summer.

Portsmouth may have hoped to return to the Championship with a bit more of a bang, after failing to win any of their opening four games.

Pompey drew each of their first three matches, before losing to early pace setters Sunderland before the season took its first international break.

John Mousinho's side romped to the League One title in 2023/24, and had many impressive performers, some of whom departed the club over the summer, whether that was due to contracts ending, players being sold on or loanees returning to their parent clubs.

The latter of which has impacted Portsmouth quite harshly, with the losses of Abu Kamara and Alex Robertson, although foreseen, were hard to plan for.

Kamara spent the season on loan from Norwich City, and even though it was reported by Football Insider in July that they were going to launch a bid for the winger, nothing came to fruition, and instead he joined Hull City.

However, the return of Robertson to Man City will hurt even more, especially after he moved to fellow Championship club Cardiff City this summer.

Alex Robertson was offered the choice of Portsmouth move this summer

The 21-year-old was extremely impressive last season for Portsmouth, and he played 23 times in the league, scoring once while also picking up four assists.

An injury to his thigh ended his involvement in January, but he was still able to join in with promotion celebrations at the end of the campaign, as Pompey beat out Derby County to the League One title by five points.

With supporters and fellow team-mates falling in love with the loanee, many would have expected him to re-join the club, especially after it was revealed by Pompey's sporting director, Rich Hughes that they had a bid accepted by Premier League champions Man City.

Instead, when given the choice between a return to Fratton Park or a move to Cardiff, Robertson opted for the latter - making the switch to Wales for a reported £1 million.

Hughes told The News: "The club had a bid accepted for Alex, we had backing from the owners, and he chose Cardiff.

"Without wanting to be flippant or dismissive, the reason for his decision would be a question for Alex and those closest to him.

"He picked Cardiff, he felt it was the right step for him, we wish him the absolute best for 44 of their 46 games this season. He’s a great young man, and I’m sure he will go on to have a good career.

"The player is always going to have their decision on where they want to go. In this scenario, Alex chose to go to Cardiff, and we wish him the best.

Alex Robertson may be regretting his decision to choose Cardiff City

Although there is no apparent reason why Robertson chose not to go back to Portsmouth, he may have slight regrets about his decision following his new club's start to the season.

Cardiff have lost all three of their opening four Championship games, picking up their only point away at rivals Swansea City.

They have scored just one goal so far, and were thumped by Burnley in their first away match of the campaign.

Although it is still very early days, the Bluebirds return to action with a trip to Derby, who have been extremely impressive at Pride Park Stadium in recent months - winning their last eight games at home, a run that stretches back to February.

Robertson will be hoping that Erol Bulut's side can turn their poor form around and kick off their season, otherwise his choice might not have been a wise one.