Following Sunday’s Championship play-off final, Portsmouth have revealed their final 2024/25 Championship opponents, and the list excludes their fiercest south coast rivals, Southampton.
The Saints defeated Leeds United 1-0 to clinch their place in next year’s Premier League campaign, returning to the top division at the first attempt, and Pompey will now host the Elland Road side at Fratton Park for the first time in 12 years next season.
With all 24 clubs confirmed into next season’s Championship, here’s the latest from Pompey’s potential rivals…
Pompey rivals reveal full manager support
Despite the club’s failure to achieve rapid promotion back to the Premier League, the Leeds United dressing room stands firmly behind head coach Daniel Farke.
The Whites suffered a painful 1-0 loss to Southampton in Sunday’s Championship play-off final, but according to Football Insider sources, the Elland Road players do not want their German manager fired. Some fans had called for a change of manager after the 47-year-old was unable to achieve an immediate top-flight comeback, but the 49ers-led board is also apparently entirely behind Farke and hopes he can lead the club to promotion in the coming season.
Leeds are expected to make significant squad changes this summer, since they are estimated to owe £190 million in outstanding transfer fees from the Andrea Radrizzani era. Crysencio Summerville is set to be one of the stars sold to help pay the £73.6 million bills outstanding by the end of June, and the winger is also looking for a transfer away from the club, with rumors indicating that Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Chelsea are among the clubs interested in him.
However, it appears that any requests for a change in management are unlikely to come from within the club, and Pompey will face a Farke-led Leeds United in the 2024/25 season.
Norwich star to make £5m move
Adam Idah of Norwich City is apparently closing in on a £5 million move to Celtic Park, where he has been in good form in recent months. Idah had been a part of the Canaries’ lineup in the early half of the season, but he struggled to obtain consistent playing time as Josh Sargent took the preferred starting slot.
The 23-year-old was subsequently loaned out to Celtic in January, where he has scored eight goals and assisted twice in 18 outings. One of those eight goals was a stoppage-time winner in Saturday’s Scottish Cup final against Rangers, the Scottish Premiership giant’s closest rivals, resulting in a 1-0 victory.
Back in April, the Cork-born forward was asked about reports linking him with a permanent move away from Norwich, to which he replied: “It gives you a lot of confidence when you hear the club wants you. It makes you feel truly a part of this group. I’m very grateful to be here.”
According to the Daily Record, Idah’s hopes may come true, as the Parkhead board is anxious to sign the Republic of Ireland forward in the coming months. Norwich are reportedly hoping for a fee of roughly £5 million to allow the forward go this summer.
