Portsmouth suffer Jacob Farrell blow after Australian's reported loan move collapses
The left-back has made just two appearances since arriving at Fratton Park in July 2024
A return to Australia for Jacob Farrell has reportedly collapsed after the owner of Central Coast Mariners was removed from the club.
According to Football360.com.au, the A-League strugglers had offered the left-back the opportunity of regular first-team football on loan, following an injury-ravaged 18 months at Fratton Park.
He was lined up alongside Australian international Nick D’Agostino, Albirex Niigata striker Kato Tanaguchi and Adelaide United’s Ben Folmai.
All proposed transfers off the table
Instead, the Australian Professional League (APL) have stepped in to take over the club’s running - and all proposed transfers, including Farrell, are now off the table.
The APL decided to act after a breakdown in Charlesworth’s unofficial ownership deal with Damon Hanlin, who had been part-funding the club.
The APL will now run a ‘sales process’ to find a buyer, with Football360.com.au claiming QPR are among the interested parties.
In the meantime, developments have come as a huge blow to both Farrell and Pompey, with the youngster desperate for games.
Appeared an ideal move
The mooted loan move appeared ideal for the 23-year-old, who made his name at Central Coast Mariners, coming through their ranks to win an A-League title in 2023-24.
That progress caught the attention of Pompey who, in July 2024, paid an undisclosed fee to land the highly-regarded left-back.
However, since his arrival in England, persistent injuries have restricted Farrell to just two appearances, much to John Mousinho’s frustration.
Having initially suffered medial collateral ligament injury within days of joining the Blues, he finally made his Pompey debut in September 2024, playing 90 minutes in a goalless draw with Sheffield United.
However, shortly afterwards he aggravated his knee issue after slipping on the grass in training, before eventually undergoing an operation in January 2025, ruling him out of the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
Farrell subsequently returned for the start of Pompey pre-season training last summer and featured regularly in their friendly programme.
There was also a second Blues start, when he lined-up at left-back in the 2-1 Carabao Cup defeat to League One Reading in August.
However, the following month he was diagnosed with a groin injury, which has continued to blight his second Pompey season.
Returned to Pompey’s squad on New Year’s Day
Farrell surprisingly returned to the first-team squad on New Year’s Day when he was named on the bench in the 5-0 defeat at Bristol City, while he was also among the substitutes in Sunday’s FA Cup loss to Arsenal.
However, on both occasions, he wasn’t used and, with the return to fitness of Connor Ogilvie and form of Zak Swanson at left-back, he faces a battle for a first-team opportunity.
Certainly a loan switch back to the club where he started made sense, also allowing Pompey to deregister the Australia Under-23 international from their 25-man Football League squad.
Yet that has now fallen through, following ownership developments at Central Coast Mariners and it remains to be seen if the potential move can be resurrected.
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