Done deal: Portsmouth complete transfer as former West Brom and Chelsea midfielder signs 2-year deal at Fratton Park
John Swift has been announced as Pompey’s second signing of the summer transfer window
Pompey have completed the free-transfer signing of midfielder John Swift.
The Blues have secured the services of the 30-year-old following the expiration of his West Brom contract at the end of last month.
A former youth-team player with the Fratton Park side, Swift has signed a two-year deal with Pompey - with the Blues having the option of an additional 12 months.
The attack-minded midfielder is head coach John Mousinho’s second arrival of the summer transfer window, with a deal to bring in fellow free-agent Adrian Segecic completed last month after he served out his time with A-League side Sydney FC.
The Fratton faithful could see the former Chelsea and Reading ace in action for the first time on Tuesday night, when the Blues travel to non-league Woking for their maiden pre-season runout of the summer.
Swift has this month been keeping himself fit by taking part in a PFA-led pre-season training camp in Leicester. If the game against Simon Bassey’s side comes too soon, then there’s always Wednesday night’s visit to fellow non-leaguers Farnborough, while Mousinho’s side also travel to League Two Crawley on Saturday.
Pompey shore up midfield with Swift signing
Swift will be seen as the first of at least two midfield signings Pompey are expected to secure for their 2025-26 Championship season.
The returns of Freddie Potts and Isaac Hayden to their parent clubs at the end of last term made engine-room reinforcements a must for the Blues this summer.
Club captain Marlon Pack, Andre Dozzell, Terry Devlin and Abdoulaye Kamara were the club’s only specialists in that position when the first-team returned to training at the end of June. Since then, though, Kamara has been told he will not be part of Pompey’s plans moving forward and is free to leave PO4.
The Blues have been credited with an interest in Silkeborg’s Pelle Mattsson and MTK Budapest’s Mark Kosznovszky in recent weeks. However, the indications are Mattsson could end up a Championship rivals Norwich, while Kosznovszky continues to be linked with a move to Fratton Park despite The News being told otherwise.
Swift’s arrival will add welcome nous and Championship know-how to the current Pompey midfield having featured 126 times for the Baggies over the past three seasons. He also registered 31 contributions during that period at the Hawthorns after making the move from Reading in 2022.
Originating from Gosport, Swift’s family connections to the area - plus his discussions with Mousinho - played a huge part in his decision to make a return to the south coast.
Other Championship clubs, plus teams in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and America, were also keen on the one-time Chelsea player.
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