A sad end for a talent unfulfilled - but Kusini Yengi's Portsmouth legacy will forever be cherished - opinion

History will be kind to Kusini Yengi, in time his undoubted achievements will emphatically eclipse the manner of his downfall.

In the rawness of the moment, with an underwhelming Championship season still burned onto our memories, inevitably few tears were shed on Tuesday evening following the announcement of his release.

There was little outcry, certainly barely a whiff of protestation. No surprise, no shock, it was an outcome which had long been glaringly obvious. Most damning of all, many applauded the decision.

Nonetheless, when the smoke clears and the dust settles, in years to come the Australian’s Fratton Park stay will be reflected upon favourably. Reminiscing the good and burying the bad, it’s how nostalgia operates.

Let us not forget that the 26-year-old was truly part of some wonderful occasions during his two seasons on the south coast, irrespective of this week’s abrupt severing of the ties.

As the chant which formed the soundtrack to last season’s title success so eloquently put: Seven years in League One, thought we’d never leave, signed Kusini Yengi, takes us up the league.

With 13 goals, he was the second-highest scorer as John Mousinho’s men returned to the Championship. He netted on his Blues debut, he netted on his Fratton Park debut, he netted against Bolton after giving Ricardo Santos a torrid time.

Then there was Peterborough, the definitive moment of his Pompey career. A 77th-minute London Road winner amid iconic scenes and the emotional awakening among fans that this really would be the season. A legacy right there.

Admittedly, that was Yengi in his Pompey prime, a powerful and physically intimidating striker, stretching defences down the channels, blessed with an unpredictability which rendered him capable of conjuring up the unexpected. That was also League One.

Ominously axed from Portsmouth’s last two Championship squads

Barely 12 months ago, supporters were debating whether the Australian international should start ahead of top scorer Colby Bishop as the lone forward during the promotion run-in.

By the final two matches of this season, Yengi couldn’t even make the 20-man squad against Sheffield Wednesday and Hull, despite being fit and available.

Instead, Mousinho opted to pack his bench with loan players who had no Fratton Park future beyond this season. As it turned out, neither did the striker they were selected ahead of.

Incidentally, Mousinho was fuming with Mark O’Mahony’s disappointing cameo off the bench at Coventry in April - to the extent the Brighton loanee never played for the Blues again. Yet even he was preferred to Yengi for a place among the substitutes in the final weeks.

Unfortunately, the Championship Yengi was a startling contrast to the figure which enjoyed such an outstanding maiden Pompey season following his arrival from Western Sydney Wanderers in July 2023.

Injured-hampered Portsmouth striker missed four-and-a-half months

Injuries, of course, played their part. There were two groin strains, posterior cruciate ligament damage to his knee and a hamstring issue - the latter two frustratingly sustained while on international duty.

In total, he missed 28 matches through injury this term, equating to being unavailable for first-team selection for four-and-a-half months of the season.

There were 14 appearances, consisting of four league starts, yet Yengi’s game was never suited to the high press style which had been employed so effectively since the trip to Hull in November.

Similarly, a lack of urgency to return from an offside position late on against Leeds at Fratton Park in March drew the ire of those fans who had observed it. A counter-attack was on had he returned to the half-way line while the Blues defended. A small detail, not forgotten.

Certainly Mousinho has been at his most animated on the touchline this season when Yengi has been on the field, particularly at Preston, which would prove to be the striker’s last Pompey start.

By that stage, the head coach hadn’t entirely lost belief in the Australian, opting for a shock recall at Deepdale and employing Bishop behind. The brutal truth is, however, the majority of fans had already given up on him.

Out of contract this summer, Pompey held a 12-month option on Yengi. It would have made business sense to enforce it before selling him, as they did with Marcus Harness so effectively in July 2022.

It was damning that they instead wanted him off the books for a clean break. As a consequence, a player possessing a League One title, 13 goals in 46 Pompey appearances, and six goals in 11 international matches, is without a club.

Portsmouth man was nowhere near Championship standards

Yengi isn’t without confidence, he definitely doesn’t lack ability either, yet, for various reasons, he came nowhere near the standards required of a Championship player.

Irrespective of mitigating factors, he has underperformed this season. Yengi failed to live up to expectations and was unable to maintain his own high standards. Perhaps, one day, he will reflect on that as an opportunity wasted.

With Pompey keen to continue evolving, he represents another League One hero who necessitated a departure. Albeit on a low rather than Sean Raggett and Joe Rafferty’s high.

Still, seven years in League One, thought we’d never leave, signed Kusini Yengi, takes us up the league.

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