Socceroos defender Hayden Matthews set to complete move to Portsmouth

A Socceroos defender isn’t expected to play for Sydney FC again as he prepares to pledge his future to English club Portsmouth.

Hayden Matthews has played his last game for Sydney FC, with Sky Blues coach Ufuk Talay confirming the Socceroos defender was already in England ahead of his move to Portsmouth and would not be involved in Friday night’s clash against Melbourne Victory.

Talay said Sydney and Portsmouth had come to an “agreement” on the deal taking Matthews to the English Championship club, with the Sky Blues set to receive a reported transfer fee of £1.27 million ($A2.5m) for the 20-year-old centre-back’s services,

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for a player that’s come through our system all the way through the academy to the first-team to get regular football, to get a call-up to the Socceroos and now possibly have the opportunity to play overseas,” Talay said.

“Hayden is a very mature player. He’s dealt with a lot of situations.

“He’s had tough time coming through the academy. He broke his leg, he was out for a long time, he got through that, he’s continued on, he had his opportunity with the senior team, he’s continued to do well and he got rewarded with the opportunity to represent his country at the highest level and now has the opportunity to go to play overseas, and hopefully he does well there.”

Feeling good on Big Blue week 😋#WeAreSydneypic.twitter.com/dRTHHxCITh

— Sydney FC (@SydneyFC) January 22, 2025

Matthews’ departure has placed extra importance of Sydney being able keep central defender Alex Popovic at the club.

Popovic, 22, joined the Sky Blues in September on loan from South Korean club Gwangju.

The loan is set to expire this month, but Talay seemed confident Popovic’s time at Sydney would be extended.

“There are discussions happening with ‘Poppa’ so we’re very close with that,” he said.

“At the same time, we’re still looking to bring in another central defender as well.

“We want to bring in someone that’s going to add value to the team not just bring in someone that gives us another number at training.”

Apart from Matthews, teenage attacker Nathan Amanatidis has also left the Sky Blues, signing a two-and-a-half-year deal with A-League cellar dwellers Brisbane Roar in the hope of securing regular first-team football.

“I’m looking forward to taking this next step with Brisbane Roar and continuing to challenge myself,” Amanatidis said.

Sydney FC has agreed to a deal to transfer Nathan Amanatidis to Brisbane Roar on a permanent deal.

We want to thank Nathan for his contributions in Sky Blue and wish him the best for the future 👏

Read more: https://t.co/CT064Y7lFN#SydneyIsSkyBluepic.twitter.com/qhH2fAz1vu

— Sydney FC (@SydneyFC) January 22, 2025

The Sky Blues suffered a shock 4-3 home loss to the Roar last Saturday and are hoping to make amends against the Victory on Friday night at AAMI Park.

“We’ve done a review of the game (against Brisbane). We were quite open and honest with ourselves and with the group, and we know that we can do better and perform better,” Talay said.

“The best thing about football is the games come fast, and we’ve got a great opponent (Victory) that we’re playing away from home.

“It’s going to be a great atmosphere, and we’re playing a big team (in a game) that we know that we need to win.”

Originally published as Socceroos defender Hayden Matthews set to complete move to Portsmouth