We focused on the most intriguing wonderkid among South Coast rivals Southampton and Portsmouth.
Despite recent little competition, the rivalry between Southampton and Portsmouth is still fierce.
Sam Amo-Ameyaw of Southampton, the club’s youngest-ever player in the top division, is a gifted player who still needs time to mature.
Paddy Lane, who joined Portsmouth from Fleetwood Town, has made a significant impact with strong performances and has the makings of a fantastic Pompey career.
The rivalry between Southampton and Portsmouth is still as fierce as ever, despite the fact that they may not have played against one another frequently in recent years.
Meetings between the two have been scarce because Pompey has struggled to leave League One while the Saints spent 11 years in the Premier League until being demoted to the Championship last season.
In April 2012, Southampton and Portsmouth played each other in a league match that ended in a 2-2 draw at St. Mary’s. Southampton went on to be promoted to the Premier League, while Pompey was relegated to League One that year.
In September 2019, they did face off in the League Cup, with Southampton winning 4-0 at Fratton Park.
While Pompey are presently leading League One and are on an astonishing 21-game unbeaten streak, the Saints have had a rocky start to life in the Championship under Russell Martin and will be looking to contend for an immediate return to the top flight this season.
We examined the most promising wonderkid at each club as the duo tries to accomplish their own ambitions this season.
Before moving to St. Mary’s last summer, winger Amo-Ameyaw spent some time in the Tottenham Hotspur system.
At 16 years and 314 days old, he made his Southampton debut against Liverpool on the final day of the previous campaign, becoming the club’s youngest-ever player to play in the Premier League.
This summer, Amo-Ameyaw signed his first professional contract with the team, and Martin called his preseason performances a “beautiful surprise” while emphasizing the need for care.
Martin stated to the Daily Echo in July that “you’ve got to be really careful with young players but he’s an exceptional talent.”
He’s a lovely kid and a highly entertaining player. He just signed his first professional deal at the age of 17.
He has a noticeable edge on the field. He has a great personality for someone his age. The other players, in my opinion, greatly respect his aptitude and hard ethic.
“We can be happy for him but also recognize that he is very, very young and has a lot of work ahead of him.
He has been a lovely surprise for us in terms of what he can produce given his age. It’s our responsibility to get him ready for regular first-team action as soon as feasible.
The 17-year-old has played for Southampton four times so far this season, and he will probably see lots more playing time in the coming season.
Winger Lane made a great impression at Fratton Park after moving from Fleetwood Town to Portsmouth in January.
Following his outstanding achievements for the Cod Army, Lane was given his senior debut for Northern Ireland in March 2022. In the 2021–22 season, Lane was named Fleetwood’s Player of the Year and League One Young Player of the Year.
With nine games in all competitions and three goals and one assist, he has been instrumental for Pompey so far this season, and boss John Mousinho thinks the 22-year-old still has a lot to offer.
According to Mousinho, who spoke to The News last month, “I had no doubts when we signed Paddy that he’s going to have a terrific Pompey career, so these sort of performances aren’t a surprise to me.”
He’ll just get fitter and better as he plays more games.
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