Portsmouth reaping the rewards as flourishing Brentford starlet backed for bright future
The 20-year-old played 44 times for Scottish Premiership side Rangers last season, scoring once
‘Promising’ Jayden Meghoma is destined for a bright future with Brentford, according to John Mousinho.
And the Blues boss believes the highly-talented 20-year-old is flourishing with regular first-team football at Fratton Park.
The Blues didn’t have a conventional left-back in the building when Meghoma arrived from the Premier League on a season-long loan on transfer deadline day.
Zak Swanson had occupied the left-back slot for five successive matches by that stage, yet in Connor Ogilvie’s long-term injury absence it was a position which desperately required strengthening.
Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw at Wolves marked Meghoma’s seventh straight start for the Blues, having previously enjoyed loan spells at Preston and Rangers.
And Mousinho has been singing the praises of the England Under-20 international.
‘The sign of a good full-back’
He told The News: ‘Jayden was really good at Wolves, on and off the ball. That is the sign of a good full-back.
‘Defensively, he has been doing his work really well, coming up against some very, very good wingers at the level. Jayden’s done a very good job of dealing with that. A lot of the time, creativity in wide areas is where games are won and lost.
‘He’s also very, very good on the ball, very energetic and very good defensively, so promising things from Jayden.
‘He’s had a couple of loans and went out to Rangers last year, which was different for him than maybe it is for Pompey. Probably the majority of the games last year they got a lot of the ball and dominated a lot of games.
‘Jayden's had that at times this year, but there are going to be occasions like Tuesday night where it’s much more about defending and much more about breaking from deep.
‘He’s really good defensively, his diligence one-v-one is excellent. We looked at the Southampton goal and maybe he just switched off from the run from deep, but that wasn’t an issue with defending one-v-one against the winger.
‘I think he has fitted in and played very well in a side which hasn’t conceded a huge amount of goals since he’s been in.’
Portsmouth man of the match on debut against Cardiff
Indeed, Pompey have registered three clean sheets in Meghoma’s seven matches - having failed to get any in the previous five fixtures.
Since a man-of-the-match debut against Cardiff, the left-back has continued to shine and, with Swanson now at right-back and still no sign of Ogilvie, he remains unopposed.
And for a player who came through Southampton’s Academy to make four first-team appearances before his August 2024 move to Brentford, his background has been quickly forgotten by impressed Pompey fans.
Mousinho added: ‘If he’d have played 100 games for Southampton, it might have been different, but that’s all in the past.
‘We’ve signed a good player, he’s loving it down here, he’s mature beyond his years, and is a very, very bright and bubbly character.
‘Jayden is very easy to coach, very easy to have around, and one of those that’s a pleasure to work with.’