QPR & Sheffield Wednesday target 'to undergo medical' at Championship rivals as deal agreed
A QPR and Sheffield Wednesday target is closing in on a move to rivals Portsmouth
Queens Park Rangers transfer target Thomas Waddingham is scheduled to undergo a medical with Championship rivals Portsmouth on Friday after a deal was agreed to sign the highly-rated striker.
Last weekend, Brisbane Roar boss Ruben Zadkovich said the A-League club had accepted a bid for the 19-year-old amid interest from QPR, Sheffield Wednesday and Portsmouth. At the time, the Brisbane boss did not delve into the details of the transfer as both the R’s and the Owls had submitted bids for the Australian. Earlier this week, it was reported that Pompey were set to win the race after their bid was accepted.
A deal has now been agreed between Brisbane and Pompey, with Waddingham poised to undergo a medical on the south coast on Friday. That is according to journalist Pete O’Rourke who said on X: “Australian striker Thomas Waddingham is due to arrive in the UK tonight before undergoing a medical at Portsmouth on Friday. Portsmouth have beaten off interest from several Championship rivals to agree a deal with Brisbane Roar for the highly-rated striker.”
Pompey boss on transfer move
Portsmouth manager John Mousinho has told Waddingham if he is good enough in training, he’ll be put straight into the senior squad at Fratton Park. He said, via The News: “My message to any player coming in is if you’re good enough you are going to play.
“It’s as simple as that. We’ve had some really good, young players come in over the past couple of years we’ve developed and played. They did really well and we’ve also had some players come in who have quite managed it. When I first started playing there was a reserve side which didn’t really play regularly, but if you were good enough at the age of 18 or 19 you were in. That’s the challenge to our youngsters. There’s plenty of young players playing in the league - get yourself in the side, keep yourself in the side - and you’ll get the opportunity to play.”
What next for QPR
Marti Cifuentes’ side are back in action against Plymouth Argyle this weekend as they look to bounce back from their FA Cup defeat at the hands of Leicester City last weekend. The R’s have lost just once in their last 11 Championship games.
Cifuentes said ahead of the weekend: “Everyone is very eager to continue that positive trend, but we know it won’t be easy. “We face a tough side with a new manager who have been getting a lot of results at home compared to away, but we are eager to impress and bounce back from a disappointing weekend in the cup. The conditions obviously didn’t help. Throughout the first half I was really enjoying how we were playing – but we need to understand what went wrong in the game.
“I have never conceded six goals as a manager so we have to look at what went wrong, but Leicester are a good side who dominated the Championship last year and we competed for large periods, which is a positive. When there is a change of manager (like at Plymouth) there is always an expectation, with a win against a Premier League side and getting a point against a tough Oxford team. We know that we need to prepare and we will need to be at our best to get something from the game.”