Grateful Kusini Yengi thanks classy Portsmouth's transfer gesture to let him kickstart career again with Aberdeen

Kusini Yengi has thanked classy Pompey for not standing in the way of getting his career back on track.

And the Australian has revealed the Blues were even in talks over a new Fratton Park deal last summer - before handing him a free transfer 10 months later.

With his two-year deal scheduled to expire at the end of the 2024-25 season, Yengi insists Pompey had initially indicated they would be taking up their 12-month option on the striker.

That would then allow them to cash in on the 26-year-old asset by potentially selling him to another club during the 2025 summer transfer window.

However, with Yengi and his advisor putting forward the viewpoint that a free transfer would boost his chances of finding another club, the Blues hierarchy agreed to help out of respect for a pivotal performer in their League One title-winning season.

And Yengi has thanked owners Tornante, John Mousinho and sporting director Rich Hughes for their kind gesture.

‘I was very grateful to them’

He told The News: ‘My whole career path and plan for my future changed and revolved around injuries and not the best of seasons. That’s football, that’s life in general.

‘From conversations I’ve had with the agent and my club (Pompey), there was definitely interest in me last summer. I am not that old and I’m a striker, which is a position clubs are always looking for.

‘I actually was offered a new (Pompey) contract in the summer of 2024 and we weren't able to come to an agreement on the terms. While negotiating, I happened to fall injured so we pushed things to the side for the moment - then I came back and got another injury, so we kind of stopped the talk of the new contract.

‘Towards the end of the season, I was originally told by the club that I wouldn’t be leaving on a free, that they would be extending my contract, but they were thinking for me to move on next year. As I am an asset, the club would have wanted to get a fee.

‘My agent had some discussions with the club and expressed to them that it would be in my best interests to instead become a free agent. It would open a lot more doors for me in terms of the transfer and where I could get an opportunity to play if there wasn’t a fee on my head.

‘The club and the gaffer were very open to negotiating and speaking to the owners to find the best possible solution and to bargain on my behalf and allow me to be free - which would help me to pick a good club and be able to get on with the rest of my career.

Get The News for less than a fiver with our new value subscription package

‘They then let me know I was going to be free - and I was very grateful for them doing that. They were in a position where they could have extended my contract and messed around with me for a while, then asked for fees from clubs. But the gaffer and the owners were very good to me.

‘They pretty much said to me: “You had a great year in League One and we are very happy and very thankful for your contribution to helping get the club to the position they are in today. We want to leave things on good terms”.

‘From a business standpoint, they were in a position of power, but we came to an agreement to let me leave on a free. I am so grateful to them.’

Yengi scored 13 goals in 31 appearances as Pompey won League One in 2023-24, an impressive haul considering that consisted of just 11 starts.

However, injuries blighted his maiden Championship season and, following 14 appearances and no goals, he wasn’t even included in the 20-man match-day squad for the final two matches.

Ex-Portsmouth man: ‘There were offers from Asia and Europe’

Regardless, Yengi claims there was plenty of interest in him since the season ended and he last week joined Scottish Cup winners Aberdeen.

He added: ‘I had a lot of interest, especially being a free agent, it opened a lot more doors and a lot more clubs were willing to talk and wanted to get involved in negotiations.

‘There were offers from within the UK, some from within Europe, in Asia as well. There were a lot of League One clubs, who were able to see me first-hand in the previous season. Obviously playing with a national team gives me a lot of exposure to different parts of the world, not only to the UK.

‘So I spoke to a few and, ultimately, decided that Aberdeen was the right fit for me.’

Your Next Pompey Read: 'I never had Kenny Jackett's backing at Pompey - I wasn't for him': Christian Burgess