The Seagulls defender will spend 2019-20 on loan at Pride Park and some Pompey fans think the Rams have made a magnificent signing.
Derby County loan signing Matt Clarke has received praise from a number of Portsmouth fans on Twitter after the defender made the temporary switch from new parent club Brighton & Hove Albion to the Rams.
The 22-year-old joined the Seagulls in June, their first signing since head coach Graham Potter took charge, having featured 175 times over four seasons at Portsmouth and establishing himself as a firm fan favourite at Fratton Park.
Last season, Clarke played in all but one EFL Trophy fixture for Portsmouth, totalling 60 games, and as well as being Man of the Match in the final of that competition, he started every League One game as well as both play off semi-final clashes against Sunderland (official Derby website).
Under contract at the Amex Stadium until the summer of 2023, Clarke has been deemed a “long-term prospect” by Potter, who explained that the loan move, so soon after the permanent switch, was made so he “would play regular senior football this coming season and continue the excellent progress he’s made over recent seasons” (The Argus).
Derby manager Phillip Cocu, meanwhile, told the official Rams website of how he sought to bring in a left-sided centre-back following Fikayo Tomori’s return to his parent club, and while stopping short of declaring Clarke an outright replacement, he was confident that the new arrival “can help the team”.
Here is what some Portsmouth fans said on social media regarding the Pompey cult hero’s loan switch to the East Midlands – needless to say the praise is very, very high:
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