Portsmouth handed transfer strategy claim amid Adrian Segecic breakthrough | OneFootball

FLW's Portsmouth fan pundit has given his verdict on the club making yet another signing from the A-League with Adrian Segecic.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Portsmouth have completed the signing of Adrian Segecic from Sydney FC.

Pompey have added their fourth player from the A-League in the last 12 months, with the Australian division proving a hotbed of talent for the Championship club, who have also brought in the likes of Hayden Matthews, Jacob Farrell and Thomas Waddingham.

The 21-year-old is Pompey’s first new addition of this transfer window, as Mousinho looks to improve on the side that finished 17th in the Championship last season.

When asked about this latest arrival from the A-League, FLW’s Portsmouth fan pundit, Miltos Ioannidis, claimed he’s excited to see Segecic in action given his record for Sydney.

He believes it’s a market the club will continue to utilise, claiming it is a hotbed for talent. “We love an Aussie, we really do, it’s that simple,” Ioannidis told Football League World.

“John Mousinho himself has said that he loves the A-League. It’s a market that we’ve utilised a lot over the last couple of years, ever since he took over and Richard Hughes got put in charge of the transfer business.

“It’s a transfer that I’m really excited for. I’ve seen highlights, goals from his time in the A-League, he was top scorer there last season.

“Obviously, the common arguments and debates are going to be raised whether he will be able to adapt to the game in England. I think it’s worth a gamble.

“My personal view is that the A-League is a very underrated league and a very underrated market. We’ve had some relative success with it over the past couple of years, I believe that Segecic is the seventh Australian that we’re signing, ever since the John Mousinho/Richard Hughes era took off.

“So, yeah, it’s a transfer that I’m really excited by, one that happened really quickly, at least that’s how it seemed to me, and can’t wait to see him in action.”

Ioannidis has encouraged Portsmouth to continue scouring the world for talent, suggesting that English players tend to have inflated price tags.

“I’m more than content with us continuing on with this transfer policy,” he added.

“We’ve said that we’re going to keep looking for players overseas. I’m absolutely content with that.

“There is no illusion if anyone says that prices for English players are sometimes a bit inflated, a bit over the edge, so absolutely content with his signing and hopefully plenty more to come.”

Segecic was top scorer in the A-League last season, scoring 13 goals from 24 appearances.

While none of the players brought in from Australia have set the world on fire so far, Hayden Matthews has proven to be a solid addition for Portsmouth.

These players do need time to adjust to their new surroundings, but can be signed at a relatively low cost as a way to add depth to Mousinho’s squad, which reduces the pressure on all of them to become superstars.

Segecic has displayed a lot of potential with his performances in Australia, and could become a useful squad player as a result.

Given they’ve been able to cement their place back in the Championship under Mousinho, this is obviously a recruitment policy they feel is working, and Portsmouth will no doubt continue with it as long as he’s in charge.