'He's here for the right reason' - Portsmouth's Matt Ritchie signing hailed as important transfer distinction is made

The 34-year-old Blues Academy product is back at Fratton Park - 13 years after his PO4 departure.

The Gosport-born ace finalised his P04 comeback on Tuesday night, following his Newcastle United release and amid interest from a host of clubs - including Bournemouth and Watford. He’s signed a two-year deal at Fratton Park and is expected to make his second debut for the club away to Leeds on Saturday as the Blues kick off their first Championship campaign in 12 years at Elland Road.

It’s a signing that has galvanised the Fratton faithful ahead of the new season. And according to Allen, it’s a move that cannot be compared to others that have seen players late in their careers perhaps move to the south coast for a ‘pay day’.

According to our chief sports writer, Ritchie has a passion for the Blues and is here simply because of that.

Speaking in the latest episode of Pompey Talk, which can also be viewed on Freeview channel 276, Allen said: ‘First of all, he (Ritchie) is a tremendous pro. 

‘We’ve seen Pompey over the years, a long time back, really, recruiting players from top-flight clubs - from Scott McGarvey from Man Utd, to all sorts.

‘They then come to this football club and it’s like “Ah, they must be good because they’ve come from the division above, they’ve come from bigger clubs”. To an extent, Ryan Tunnicliffe, and people like that - they get carried away by backgrounds and things like that.

‘They’re here for pay days and not done that well. It goes back a long way, decades, we’ve seen them all.

‘Ritchie’s come to Pompey on the back of so many years with Newcastle in the Premier League, he even scored a Premier League goal last year.

‘But his heart is here, he wants to be here, he’s not here for a pay day, he’s not here to further his career to get another club, he’s here for Pompey and there’s a passion about that - and I think that’s fantastic.

‘He’s here for the right reason, while so many in the past have not been here for he right reasons - Defoe is another one. A good player but he wasn’t here for the right reasons.’

Ritchie made 10 appearances for the Blues at the very beginning of his career, before being sold to Swindon in 2011.

Since then he’s enjoyed successful spells at the likes of Bournemouth and Newcastle, both of whom he helped win promotion to the Premier League.

A return to Pompey has always been on the agenda as far as Ritchie has been concerned. Now back, Allen believes he’s given everyone associated with the club a huge boost ahead of the new season.

He added: ‘Ritchie’s a great lad, has Pompey in his heart and he’s never made any secret of the fact that he wanted to come back to Fratton Park one day.

‘It was just about financially arranging that and the right time, of course. He would never have dropped out of the Premier League to come to League One, so it’s a fantastic one.

‘Where he plays in the team is an interesting one. But he’s revitalised the fans, he’s lifted everyone and it’s been brilliant.

‘I bumped into a Pompey fan in the street about an hour after it happened and he just wanted to talk about Matt Ritchie, it has just lifted the club.

‘It strengthens the squad considerably and he’s a Pompey lad. I think we’re all looking forward to it. Thirteen years since he was last here, I remember covering reserve games with him and Marlon Pack in the midfield and now they’re in the first team together in the Championship.

‘It’s brilliant, he’s a cracking lad and it’s brought a smile to all our faces.’