A. Segecic

Portsmouth had the ball and the territory against Derby County, but their second straight home defeat exposed the gap between attacking volume and attacking threat. Adrian Segecic remains one of the few players capable of narrowing it.

Possession has not solved Portsmouth’s problem

Adrian Segecic started as Portsmouth’s central attacking midfielder in Tuesday’s 2-0 home defeat to Derby County, a role that placed him between Derby’s midfield and defensive lines rather than isolating him on the flank. Portsmouth controlled 65 per cent of possession and produced 21 shots, yet only three were on target. The numbers describe a team able to circulate the ball without consistently disorganising the opponent. (playmakerstats.com)

That distinction matters for Segecic. Portsmouth do not necessarily need more possession from the Australian; they need him to make their possession more invasive. His value is in receiving on the half-turn, carrying the ball towards a retreating back line and accelerating attacks before Derby could reset. Against a side defending a lead, those moments were more important than another safe pass around the edge of the block.

The late combination showed the route forward

Segecic’s clearest attacking involvement came shortly after Derby doubled its advantage in the 62nd minute. Abu Kamara combined with him as Portsmouth tried to respond, with Segecic’s effort deflected behind. Derby’s official report also recorded a further low save from the Australian’s shot from distance, while match coverage confirmed a late blocked effort. (dcfc.co.uk)

Neither action changed the result, but both pointed towards the type of intervention Portsmouth lacked elsewhere: a decision made quickly enough to turn circulation into a shot. The Kamara-Segecic relationship is particularly relevant because it gives Portsmouth two players who can attack the next line rather than simply hold width. Kamara can drive inside or combine around the corner; Segecic can arrive behind that movement and attack the second action.

The issue is that these connections appeared too intermittently. Portsmouth’s attacking structure often became a sequence of deliveries, blocked shots and possession regained in non-threatening areas. Segecic was involved, but not yet consistently at the point where the move became decisive. That is the gap between being a promising attacking outlet and becoming the player through whom the team’s final-third plan is organised.

A larger role should mean more responsibility, not just more touches

John Mousinho has already trusted Segecic from the start, and Tuesday’s selection kept him in the No.10 position behind Marko Milovanović, with Kamara to his right and Ryan Kavuma-McQueen on the opposite side. (dcfc.co.uk) The next adjustment should not simply be to give Segecic more of the ball in the same zones. It should be to give him clearer permission to leave the initial structure and find the spaces Portsmouth’s possession is creating.

When Derby dropped deep, Segecic needed to alternate between occupying the pocket in front of the centre-backs and moving towards the left half-space to create a third-player combination with Kamara or Zak Swanson. If he remains fixed centrally, Portsmouth can become predictable: the centre is crowded, the wide players receive too far from goal and the striker is asked to win difficult service. If Segecic drifts without a coordinated run beyond him, the movement simply relocates the problem.

The more useful version of his role would therefore pair freedom with a clear reference point. Milovanović’s movement can pin the centre-backs, while Segecic attacks the space either side of them. That would also create better conditions for his left-footed shooting, which was one of the few ways Portsmouth threatened Zetterström after Derby went 2-0 ahead.

The question is conversion, not potential

Portsmouth have now lost consecutive home matches, and Tuesday was their third defeat of the early Championship campaign according to local reporting. (expressfm.com) That raises the pressure on Mousinho to find a more productive attacking hierarchy, but it does not automatically make Segecic the answer to every problem. His next test is repeatability.

The flashes are already visible: he starts in a central role, combines with dangerous runners and is willing to shoot when the defence refuses to open. The requirement now is to produce those actions earlier and more often, particularly before Portsmouth fall behind and the opponent can defend with the entire game state in its favour.

For Segecic, the Derby defeat was not evidence that Portsmouth should abandon control. It was evidence that control needs a sharper focal point. If he can turn the next-pass connection with Kamara into a regular mechanism rather than a late attacking glimpse, his role can grow because the team needs a player who changes the tempo of its possession.

SourcesStatistics and Lineups Portsmouth 0-2 Derby County :: Championship 2026/27REPORT: Portsmouth 0-2 Derby County - Blog - Derby CountyREPORT: Pompey 0, Derby 2 - Portsmouth's Express FMPortsmouth 0-2 Derby County: Official Match ReportPortsmouth 0-2 Derby: Match Report & HighlightsPompey 0, Derby 2 — Express FM Match Report

Portsmouth have not received a bid for Adrian Segecic, but John Mousinho’s warning that it would take a “significant” offer to prise him away shows how sharply the Australian’s value has risen.

Pompey’s position is clear

Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho has publicly pushed back against reported Birmingham City interest in Adrian Segecic, insisting the Championship club have not received an offer and indicating that a sizeable proposal would be required to change their position. (football360.com.au)

“Not as far as I’ve heard and we haven’t had a bid at all,” Mousinho told The News when asked about Segecic’s situation, according to Football360’s August 29 report. The message is straightforward: Birmingham’s interest remains reported rather than formal, while Portsmouth are under no immediate pressure to sell. (football360.com.au)

That distinction matters with the transfer window approaching its close. Segecic is not being discussed as an unwanted squad player or a youngster waiting for an opportunity. He is being presented as an increasingly valuable attacking option whose early-season production has made Portsmouth determined to protect their position.

The numbers have changed the conversation

Segecic has scored twice in three appearances at the start of the 2026-27 campaign, according to the current reporting around the Birmingham link. That is a sharp continuation of the attacking impact he made in his first Portsmouth season, when he scored 10 goals in all competitions. (football360.com.au)

The broader statistical record reinforces the scale of his first campaign in England. Opta Analyst lists Segecic with 11 goals and four assists across 39 Portsmouth appearances, while its season breakdown records 38 Championship appearances in 2025-26. (theanalyst.com)

There is a slight discrepancy between published season tallies, with some reports referring to 10 goals and others to 11 across all competitions. The consistent point is more important: after arriving from Sydney FC, Segecic quickly became a regular source of goals in the second tier. That has transformed any potential transfer from a routine squad decision into a question of valuation and timing.

A more important role at Portsmouth

Portsmouth’s decision to resist Birmingham’s reported interest also reflects Segecic’s development from promising arrival to established Championship contributor. When the club announced his signing in June 2025, Portsmouth described him as one of Australia’s hottest young prospects, with Mousinho highlighting his excitement and attacking potential. (portsmouthfc.co.uk)

His first season supplied the evidence that the club hoped to see. Segecic adapted to the physical demands of English football, contributed from an attacking midfield role and produced decisive moments rather than merely flashes of potential. His record included a hat-trick in Portsmouth’s 3-1 win away to Stoke City in April 2026, a performance that underlined his capacity to change a match in bursts. (soccerbase.com)

The early returns this season suggest Portsmouth are now giving him a platform with greater expectations attached. Two goals in three appearances is not enough to define an entire campaign, but it is enough to explain why another Championship club would be monitoring him and why Mousinho is reluctant to entertain a low-value approach.

Interest is one thing; a decision is another

For now, the Segecic story is about pressure rather than a completed transfer. Birmingham City’s interest has been reported, but there is no confirmed bid, no agreed fee and no indication from Portsmouth that a departure is imminent. (football360.com.au)

That leaves the 22-year-old in a significant position as the window enters its final days. Portsmouth have invested in his development, seen him deliver a breakthrough season and watched his form carry into the new campaign. Birmingham may believe his trajectory makes him worth pursuing, but Mousinho’s public stance says the starting point would have to be a “significant” offer.

Until that arrives, Segecic remains a Portsmouth player — and one whose explosive start has made keeping him almost as important as discovering him.

SourcesAdrian Segecic | Portsmouth, Birmingham | Transfer news, reactionAdrian Segecic Career History | Opta AnalystPompey Complete Segečić Signing - Portsmouth FCAdrian Segecic | Football Stats | Portsmouth | Season 2025/2026 | Soccer BasePortsmouth coach outlines ‘significant’ transfer stance amid Segecic interest: ‘I’m surprised’Birmingham City plot offer for Portsmouth’s Adrian SegecicAdrian Segecic Career HistoryPompey Complete Segečić Signing