Out-of-favour Portsmouth man back at Fratton Park after surprise Bradford City U-turn
The central defender has surprisingly been returned to Fratton Park after a change of heart
The central defender has returned to Fratton Park at the halfway point of his scheduled season-long stay after Bantams boss Graham Alexander opted to cancel it.
Alexander had previously told the Bradford Telegraph & Argus of his hope that John Mousinho wouldn’t intervene and end the spell early, with McIntyre needed for the League One club’s promotion push.
However, over the weekend Bradford’s manager had a change of heart, with the 27-year-old informed he would now be sent back to the south coast.
Three League One starts this season
The decision is entirely driven by the West Yorkshire club, with the defender having played a bit-part role in their ongoing challenge to reach the Championship.
He managed just two minutes over their last seven matches, while started three league fixtures overall in a campaign which currently sees the team sitting in third place.
In total, the former Charlton loanee featured 11 times in all competitions during his loan, with his last League One start coming on October 18 in a 2-2 draw with Barnsley.
Unquestionably, the latest developments put McIntyre’s career in limbo, with Pompey considering him surplus to requirements.
Despite the Blues losing Hayden Matthews (ankle) and Josh Knight (back) in recent weeks, damningly Mousinho had no intention of recalling McIntyre.
Instead, the Blues are targeting recruiting another central defender to join Regan Poole, Conor Shaughnessy and Ibane Bowat as available first-team options. Their plans didn’t include adding McIntyre to their numbers.
‘I think it’s a good loan for him’
Speaking on Thursday at his pre-Arsenal press conference, Mousinho told The News: ‘As far as we know, Bradford want to keep him. At the minute we won’t be recalling Tom, I think it’s a good loan for him.’
McIntyre’s scheduled season-long loan at Valley Parade would have effectively taken him to the end of his Pompey contract, which expires in the summer.
In addition, Bradford would have paid a contribution to his wages over that duration, creating space in Pompey’s playing budget to allocate those funds elsewhere.
That Bantams agreement is now over, although the Blues will again be eager to find a taker for McIntyre during the January transfer window, with the former Reading man having no future at Fratton Park.
Last summer, the defender wasn’t included in any of their pre-season friendly programme, even when available following injury. He also has not been allocated a shirt number for the 2025-26 campaign.
Arrived at Fratton Park in January 2024
He was signed by Pompey in January 2024 to bolster their push for the Championship, yet has subsequently totalled just 14 appearances.
However, McIntyre suffered a broken left ankle and red card on his debut against Northampton and, although that dismissal was later rescinded upon appeal, his Pompey career never truly recovered.
Overall, he has featured 14 times for the Blues, yet his last appearance was in January 2025, when he started in the 2-0 FA Cup defeat at Wycombe.
McIntyre subsequently joined Charlton on loan, featuring 10 times as they won promotion from League One through the play-offs, although the move wasn’t made permanent.
Now, following a stint at Bradford, he returns to Fratton Park once more, albeit is not expected to feature for Mousinho’s side, irrespective of their mounting injury problems.
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