‘My message is…’: Portsmouth boss fires clear statement to ‘teen sensation’ as he arrives at Fratton

John Mousinho has promised any young player will get their chance to make a Pompey first-team impression this term, if they are up to the task.

The Blues are set to unveil the Aussie ‘teen sensation’ as their third arrival of the January transfer window, with a reported fee of in excess of £200,000 agreed with Brisbane Roar. Waddingham is close to being confirmed off the back of defender Rob Atkinson and midfielder Isaac Hayden arriving in the January window to date.

There’s been a clear strategy laid out for Pompey’s winter recruitment that arrivals need to be able to impact the Championship fight for survival now. Waddingham likely doesn’t fall into that category just yet, as he arrives in the English game with 34 A-League appearances and 11 goals to his name.

Mousinho hasn’t entirely closed the door on the striker making an impact in the short term - pointing to previous youngsters who’ve been used in the first team in his Fratton tenure.

He said: ‘My message to any player coming in is if you’re good enough you are going to play.

‘It’s as simple as that. We’ve had some really good, young players come in over the past couple of years we’ve developed and played. They did really well and we’ve also had some players come in who have quite managed it.

‘When I first started playing there was a reserve side which didn’t really play regularly, but if you were good enough at the age of 18 or 19 you were in.

‘That’s the challenge to our youngsters. There’s plenty of young players playing in the league - get yourself in the side, keep yourself in the side - and you’ll get the opportunity to play.’

Waddingham, at the age of 19, is another player who arrives in the development category at Pompey, with others in the same mould not looking ready to step up extensively at senior level this term. Winger Harvey Blair falls into that category, while midfielder Abdoulaye Kamara clearly has a long way to go, despite some initial flashes of promise.

DEVELOPMENT GROUP

Mousinho feels there has to be attention given to younger options, even if there isn’t a development group in place at Pompey.

He added: ‘It’s a tricky balance, but the way we look at it is would be great long term if we could develop things at the football club and have a development squad and 21s squad. At the minute we have to take the right steps to get there. We’re settling into a new training ground and everything is brand new.

‘For all the years of Portsmouth’s success on the pitch in the Premier League there was nothing behind it. So it will take time to get there but we don’t have the space and facilities at the minute to facilitate a 21s squad.

‘We will get there, but we have to make sure we do the right things at the moment. While we do that, we still want to take players we think we can develop and affect the first team.’