Who is Pompey target Thomas Waddingham - the wonderkid branded 'next Mark Viduka' and also admired by Spurs?

Football Insider reported earlier this week that Sheffield Wednesday, and QPR had made their moves for the teenage forward. But Waddingham is on Pompey's radar, too, apparently and is an option being considered by the club this month.

The transfer window in Australia doesn't open until January 16, In the meantime, Pompey are prioritising the signings of others - including the loan arrival of Newcastle midfielder Isaac Hayden, who looks set to become signing number two this month following Rob Atkinson’s loan switch from Bristol City.

There's already a stong Aussie contingent at Fratton Park, with Kusini Yengi and Jacob Farrell both on the books. Samuel Silvera is also Australian, but he's set to go back to parent club Middlesbrough. Meanwhile Pompey have been linked with another player from Down Under - Hearts midfielder Cameron Devlin.

With Elias Sorensen now gone, the signing of an additional forward could be on the agenda this month. Could Waddingham be the solution? Amid strong transfer speculation, here’s the lowdown on the player...

Thomas Waddingham profiled

Born in Cairns, Australia, Waddingham is a 19-year-old striker on the books of Brisbane Roar. He stands at 5” 11” and come through the academy ranks at Edge Hill United before joining Roar in 2021.

He netted 12 goals in 29 games for Brisbane's youth team, and was promptly promoted to their first team in 2023. Waddingham has so far scored 15 goals in 40 games, with four coming this season.

Before arriving on the south coast in the summer, Farrell played against Waddingham during his time at Central Coast Mariners. The defender got to play against him three times and was on the winning team twice, despite Waddingham getting the better of him on those occasions.

Australia are yet to give the forward a cap at senior level, but Waddingham has played for their under-20s team.

Transfer interest from European clubs

A lot of transfer speculation has surrounded Waddingham over the past 12 months. Earlier last year, Spurs - who are managed by Ange Postecoglou - reportedly had an interest in signing him. The Aussie was made aware of Waddingham through his A-League contacts. It was reported by Football Insider that Spurs were in 'pole position' to sign him, but a transfer did not take place.

Spurs aren't the only big European team to have taken an interest in Waddingham. Six-time Champions League winners Bayern Munich are said to be admirers. Although, they're not pursuing a move for him at this time.

The ‘next’ Mark Viduka?

Current Roar team-mate Ben Halloran is well placed to offer Waddingham advice on a potential move to Europe. He spent 11 years away from the club, playing for Fortuna Dusseldorf and Heidenheim in Germany, while he also enjoyed spells in Japan and South Korea.

The 32-year-old has got to play 10 games alongside the talented young forward. He believes Waddingham has that ‘instinct’ to go to the next level and has compared him to Mark Viduka.

Viduka had a successful career in Britain, playing for Celtic, Leeds United, Middlesbrough and Newcastle United. He earned 43 caps for Australia, and played 240 games in the Premier League, where he was eight goals shy of a century. If Waddingham can go on to have anywhere near the career that the ex-Whites striker had, then it’s encouraging.

‘To go to the next level, you need a weapon... and he has that instinct,’ said Halloran to ESPN.

‘In Australia, we love getting really excited about players who are going to be the next Mark Viduka.

‘But in this environment, this team, we know when to bring him back down to earth, and he has a good head on his shoulders.’

Thomas Sorensen spent a large part of his career in England, playing for Sunderland, Aston Villa and Stoke City. The last club of his 24-year-career was Melbourne City, and since retiring he's remained Down Under.

These days he works as a pundit, providing coverage for Optus Sport on the Premier League, the A-League and the national team. He's seen a lot of Waddingham and is hopeful he can follow in the footsteps of Viduka and other Premier League stars from Australia.

Speaking on the A-Leagues Download podcast, Sorsensen said: ‘Viduka? Hopefully. It would be great for Australian football if he can take that next jump.’

Another person well-placed to comment on Waddingham is his head coach, Ruben Zadkovich. He, too, spent time in England, where he was on the books at QPR, Notts County, and Derby County, though he made only a handful of appearances.

The 38-year-old has been full of praise for Waddingham and likened him to an 'old school' number nine. The youngster is still contracted to Brisbane until the summer of 2026, and inside the club they're fully aware of what kind of player they have on their hands.

‘We don’t make players like Tommy Waddingham anymore,’ said his coach Zadkovich.

‘He’s that old-chool, proper number nine. He’s got so many areas he can improve and grow and I think he’s a massive asset to the club.

‘We know that we’ve got an asset, we know that we’ve got a fantastic young player and you know we’ll keep working on developing him and bringing him to the top of the pile.’

Waddingham has a transfer value of €386k, according to Flashscore.co.uk.