Why Portsmouth were never going to sign Abu Kamara amid £3.5m Getafe move and Birmingham City interest
Former Pompey favourite Abu Kamara is set to depart Hull City this summer, with a £3.5m move to Getafe reported.
A move for Abu Kamara was never realistic for Pompey this summer.
That’s the verdict of The News’ chief sports writer Neil Allen, who believes a deal wouldn’t have been financially sensible for the Blues.
The 22-year-old is set to depart Hull City just 12 months into his four-year deal at the MKM Stadium.
A host of clubs, including Championship rivals Birmingham City and Scottish giants Rangers, have been linked with his signature this summer.
That would rule out an emotional return to the south coast, with some members of the Fratton faithful adamant the Blues should splash the cash to re-sign their former League One title winner.
However, Allen believes a move to PO4 was not financially realistic for Pompey as they continue their search for a new right winger.
Why Pompey return for Abu Kamara was never ‘realistic’
Speaking on the latest episode of Pompey Talk, Allen said: ‘Pompey never had a chance to bid for him the first time round because Hull signed him for about £4.5m.
‘So Pompey were never in the frame for him which was completely different to the (Alex) Robertson situation, where they had a bid accepted and discussed terms but he went to Cardiff - that was his decision. Kamara never got that, even though Pompey remained an admirer.
‘I saw a link earlier in the week saying Pompey like him - they’ve liked him for ages and we’ve written about it so many times. Pompey would love to bring him back but financially was always the issue.
‘Realistically, they aren’t going to pay £3.5m. They’re not. It’s not ideal because some people want the owners to spend loads more money but realistically they aren’t going to spend £3.5m on a player, which rules Pompey out. That’s how it is, they aren’t in that position to pay money like that.
‘They’ve paid a couple of £1m deals in the calendar year with Hayden Matthews one of them. They have increased their expenditure but it still hails in comparison to other football clubs at the moment. Wrexham have signed Nathan Broadhead for £10m!
‘Pompey were never going to be in the market for Kamara with those sort of prices. Certainly, Hull aren’t going to half what they spent within 12 months - especially to a fellow Championship club.
‘It’s never been a realistic one, Pompey have liked him and would love to bring him back but it’s been said so many times. They were never going to realistically.
‘The word is realistic. You can say Pompey should spend £3.5m because Michael Eisner is a billionaire - they aren’t going to. You have to be realistic, it’s not happening.
‘Unfortunately it looks like he’s going elsewhere but he’s not really proven at Championship. We’re judging him on League One and his potential.
‘At the moment, he struggled in his maiden Championship season to the point Hull’s fans are very comfortable with him leaving the following summer and they’re going to lose £1m in the deal as well.’