Portsmouth FC should strike transfer revenge for Cardiff City ace as exit warnings emerge.

Portsmouth may now have an ideal opportunity to sign former transfer target and loan star Alex Robertson.

During the 2023/24 League One season, the 22-year-old was loaned to Pompey, where he became a first-team regular and helped the club earn promotion.

However, the young midfielder joined Championship rivals Cardiff City in summer 2024, rather than making his temporary stint permanent.

Now that the stars have aligned, another Pompey approach makes a lot of sense.

Cardiff had a difficult season, despite Robertson’s performances.

Last summer, the Welsh side signed Robertson ahead of Portsmouth.

In 35 Championship appearances, he helped the Bluebirds with three goals and three assists from midfield.

However, that was insufficient to save Cardiff; they were relegated, finishing at the bottom of the Championship.

Following Robertson’s demotion, his current club will need to restructure their finances and raise additional funds to compensate for lost revenue.

Robertson, a Manchester City academy graduate and former international with nearly a full Championship season under his belt, signed a four-year contract last year. He is expected to be one of Cardiff’s most valuable assets.

Robertson leaving Cardiff seems to be a real possibility.

Sky Sports pundit David Prutton predicts Robertson will be “highly coveted” this summer, taking into account his financial situation.

From the player’s perspective, having demonstrated his ability to operate in the Championship, he is unlikely to want to drop back down at this early stage in his career.

Matt, our Cardiff Fan Pundit, predicts that Robertson, among other prized assets, could be sold this summer.

If that were the case, Portsmouth would undoubtedly be near the front of the queue.

Portsmouth could step in and eventually land Robertson.

Pompey know exactly what they’d get from Robertson during his loan spell, so there’s no need for any scouting.

Last year, Portsmouth CEO Andy Cullen revealed his disappointment at missing out on Robertson.

Cullen told Portsmouth News that Alex chose to travel to Cardiff. “That’s absolutely fine, though it was to our disappointment.”

Pompey’s decision appears to have left him feeling slightly burned, but a top player would likely be able to put those personal feelings aside.

Although his season in the Championship will make him slightly more expensive than last year (the Bluebirds agreed a deal worth up to £3 million last year), Cardiff’s relegation puts them in a weaker negotiating position, which may mean the price isn’t too inflated, attracting Portsmouth even more.

Cardiff’s relegation provides Portsmouth with the best opportunity to re-sign Robertson, offering him a familiar environment and Championship football.

Pompey were understandably disappointed to miss out on the midfielder last summer after doing so much to help him transition into the senior game, but everything may have finally fallen into place to make Portsmouth’s dream move come true.

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