Leeds United supporters might be surprised by Portsmouth FC developments: View | OneFootball

Leeds United released centre-back Conor Shaughnessy in 2021, but the defender has now worked his way back up the EFL with Portsmouth, after winning the League One title and being named in the Team of the Season.

He entered Portsmouth folklore after scoring the goal that secured promotion from League One last week against Barnsley, after Pompey fought back from 2-1 down late on to win 3-2, with Shaughnessy heading in the winner in the 89th minute from a corner.

Portsmouth sealed their spot in next season's Championship with that win, but it also won them the title in the process, in a fantastic achievement for John Mousinho's side after battling with plenty of injuries this season, particularly in their back line.

Mousinho's side have been a dominant force in the third tier this season and Shaughnessy has been a vital member of the group following his summer move from Burton Albion, although it's possible that his role became more important after long-term injuries to the likes of Regan Poole and Tom McIntyre.

That pair were brought into be the bedrock of the side, making Shaughnessy and Portsmouth's recent accolades and achievements all the more impressive. The Irish defender won the club's Player of the Year award in the end of season awards, which will certainly have come as a shock to most Leeds fans.

Ali Maxwell of the Not The Top 20 podcast said (55:35):

"Practically a squad player with Burton Albion and is now a League One Team of the Season centre-back for Portsmouth.

"He's scored three injury-time winners for Portsmouth this season, so that's six points won just from his head.

"So good defensively, and on the ball."

Shaughnessy is an intriguing story, having broken through at Leeds under Thomas Christiansen in the first half of the 17/18 season, before falling out of favour. Then, under Marcelo Bielsa, the defender was cast aside and shipped out on loan frequently until his release a year prior to the Argentine’s exit.

His last Leeds outing came in the League Cup during Bielsa’s first campaign in-charge. In total, Shaughnessy made 15 appearances across all competitions in his Leeds career. The 27-year-old went on loan to Hearts, Burton Albion, and Mansfield Town. Shaughnessy hasn’t been seen at Elland Road since 2021 and first moved to Rochdale to get his career back on track.

Shaughnessy's recent successes

That move to Rochdale wasn't the best for him and he soon found a home at Burton Albion, where he featured 70 times in two seasons in total, albeit not always as a frequent starter as Maxwell mentions. He started 52 of those games, but the majority came during his first season, when the club finished six places above the drop zone.

Despite never impressing for Leeds outside of a moment or two of quality, including an assist against Ipswich Town - and the same was fairly true of his spell with Burton as well, but he evidently did enough for League One rivals Pompey to pick him up on a free in the process, proving to be an inspired decision.

Not many Leeds fans would have seen this coming after showing so few signs of being the player he has now become, but Shaughnessy has turned out to be the most important part of a defensive unit, boasting the joint-best defence in the league, while playing a vital role in their 18 clean sheets in the league.

Many of the West Yorkshire outfit's supporters were perhaps expecting Shaughnessy's next steps to be further down the leagues, but now a second opportunity in the Championship awaits the defender, who looks to have developed exceptionally well in the third tier under Mousinho's guidance, gotten the better of inconsistency and constant transfers, to find a home in the Portsmouth back line.