When Pompey were Premier League: Where Are You Now?

RCM – Michael Brown

The English midfielder was a key player in Portsmouth’s run to the FA Cup Final in 2010. Following relegation, Brown decided to stay at the club. Brown was almost ever-present in the side as players left due to the money issues. Unfortunately Brown was owed a new contract at the club due to a clause in his contract.

The clause called for a new £25,000 a week contract, money that Pompey simply didn’t have. The player was released at the end of the season and was linked with moves to Middlesbrough, QPR, Wolves and Nottingham Forest. In 2011 Brown signed for Leeds United and has become an important player at Elland Road, playing 48 times.

CDM – Aaron Mokoena

The South African was another integral part of the Portsmouth team, playing 77 times. Mokoena remained at the club until their relegation to League 1. The same year, Portsmouth had gone into administration.

Mokoena seemed the obvious player to release due to his high wages and in July 2012, he joined Bidvest Wits, a team from the third tier of South African football. He has scored 8 times in 23 games for ‘The Clever Boys’.

CM – Kevin Prince Boateng

Probably the greatest success story to come out of Fratton Park is Kevin Prince Boateng. The Ghanaian, born in Germany, signed from Tottenham Hotspur at the start of the 2009/10 season. He finished as Portsmouth’s 3^rd top goal scorer in the Premier League and 4^th overall. Boateng took and missed a penalty in the 2010 FA Cup Final which Pompey ultimately lost.

At the end of the season, with Portsmouth keen to offload the high wage earners, Boateng was transfer listed. Borussia Dortmund were favourites to sign the midfielder following a successful loan spell from Spurs in 2008. However it was Genoa who signed him for £7 million and then he was immediately loaned to AC Milan. The contract was later changed to a co-ownership and in 2011 Milan signed the Ghanaian permanently. Following 100 appearances for i Rossoneri, Boateng joined Schalke 04 for a reported £15 million.

LCM – Jamie O’Hara

O’Hara signed on loan from Tottenham Hotspur. He was a regular in the side and was named Portsmouth’s Player of the Season following 26 appearances. His loan deal came with the option to remain at Fratton Park which was not activated by O’Hara. The next season he signed on loan for Wolverhampton Wanderers and signed permanently in 2011. Following 50 appearances at Molineux, O’Hara was transfer listed by Kenny Jackett and not given a squad number for the 2013/14 season.

ST – Frederic Piquionne

The Frenchman was another loan signing for the 2009/10 season, signing from Lyon. Piquionne scored 5 times in 34 appearances at Fratton Park and despite this patchy form he claimed he had found his feet in English football and in July 2010, the striker signed for West Ham United. He scored the 10,000^th Premier League goal scored with a Nike ball in a season that ended with the Hammers’ relegation.

Following more dodgy goal scoring form (8 in 54) he signed for Doncaster Rover in 2012 on a month’s loan in which he scored twice in 8 appearances in a season that saw Doncaster relegated. In 2013, Piquionne joined MLS outfit, Portland Timbers.

ST – Aruna Dindane

The Ivorian was yet another loanee, this time signed from Lens with an option of a permanent transfer at the end of the season. He played 19 times scoring on 8 occasions. On March 21 2010 it was revealed that if Dindane played another game for Pompey, Lens would be owed £4 million. Portsmouth could not afford the fee and he was dropped for the remainder of the season, playing only in the FA Cup. Following the end of the loan deal, Dindane spent two years in Qatar playing for Lekhwiya, Al-Gharafa and Al-Sailiya. After half a season at the latter he was released and began training with Leeds United but was signed by Crystal Palace for their 2013/14 Premier League campaign.

So there we have it. It just goes to show how much money controls football. Portsmouth were the first to be really affected and I’m sure everyone is dreaming of the day that they return to some form of normality.

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