Pompey new-boy reveals reasons behind switch from Premier League

Tareiq Holmes-Dennis today arrived at Fratton Park on a season-long loan from Huddersfield.

The attacking left-back started seven times in the Terriers’ Championship campaign which last year yielded promotion to the top flight.

He was also an unused substitute in the Wembley play-off final triumph over Reading.

Yet the 21-year-old has now elected to switch to Fratton Park to maintain his development.

And Holmes-Dennis is relishing the opportunity of regular first-team football.

He said: ‘Being 21, I want to play as many games as I can.

‘If you are going into the Premier League it’s definitely nice to be around, but if you aren’t going to play then you are not really developing so much.

‘I just have to take the right option for myself and my career.

‘The Premier League will look nice and pretty on the eye, but it’s not always what you need. The only way you can get better is playing games, building confidence and challenging yourself, trying new things.

‘I’ve played 76 career matches so far and need to keep doing that, building on that, and improving as a player.

‘I had a few options in the Championship and League One, but this such a big club and I have come here for as many games as possible. I think it was a pretty easy decision.

‘I don’t want to be in the same position as I was last season, I want to come here and try to nail down a first-team place.

‘The manager is going to give me a chance, he told me the philosophy and how they work – and that was a big reason for me to come in.’

Holmes-Dennis, who started at Charlton, has already featured in the Championship, League One and League Two during his fledgling career.

In the 2014-15 campaign, he was loaned out to both Oxford United and Plymouth, earning regular appearances at left-back.

Then in 2015-16 he enjoyed a loan spell at Oldham – now he’s looking to thrive at Fratton.

He added: ‘At Charlton and Huddersfield I played and showed what I could do, but wasn’t appearing that consistently.

‘I had one season where I went to Oxford and Plymouth and played 37 games, which was good. The year after I played games in the Championship and then went into League One with Oldham.

‘As a youngster you need a run of games so you can show what you can do.

‘You might start a bit steady, getting yourself in and trying to show what you can do, but then you can start expressing yourself.’