Two promising players released by Portsmouth, Brian Quarm and Bastian Smith, are drawing interest from Championship and League One clubs.
Quarm, a former Fulham right-back, was among 11 second-year scholars informed in March that they would not be offered professional contracts. He made a single appearance for Portsmouth’s first team, coming off the bench in an October 2022 Papa Johns Trophy match against Aston Villa Under-21s, which ended in a 5-0 victory for Pompey. Recently, Quarm attended a two-week trial with Millwall, aiming to join their under-21 squad.
Goalkeeper Bastian Smith, who featured 17 times for Portsmouth’s Academy this season, has been trialling with Peterborough. Though he was on the bench for several first-team matches, including an EFL Trophy game against Fulham Under-21s in August 2023 and a December 2022 match against Stevenage, he has yet to make his first-team debut.
Other released second-year scholars from Portsmouth have also been trialling with various clubs, such as Sam Folarin at Ipswich and Harvey Laidlaw at Colchester. Third-year scholar Destiny Ojo has been on trials with Colchester and Burnley.
Portsmouth’s Academy season concluded with a 1-0 defeat against a youthful Gosport side in the Portsmouth Cup. Despite not operating an under-21 team, Portsmouth’s graduates continue to attract attention from other clubs looking to strengthen their development squads.
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