Alese reflects on his time on Wearside and Sunderland’s play-off success after joining Portsmouth on loan
Aji Alese says Sunderland’s supporters will always hold a special place for him after completing a loan move to Portsmouth for the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign.
The defender has joined Pompey as he steps up his return from long-term injury and looks to secure regular Championship football, having not made a senior appearance since suffering a serious setback in last season’s FA Cup defeat to Stoke City. Reflecting on his three-and-a-half years on Wearside after sealing the move, Alese paid a warm tribute to Sunderland fans.
“The fans are amazing there,” Alese said. “It’s a beautiful part of the world. They’re mad about football over there, and I’ve been there three and a half years, and I’m in a position in my career where I want to play football, and this is a beautiful opportunity to do so.”
Alese was part of the Sunderland squad that secured promotion via the play-offs and said the experience remains a career highlight. “It was amazing,” he said. “Obviously, I got promoted with Cambridge, but we went up during the Covid season, and automatically, there was no Wembley. But going to Wembley, being a part of it, seeing the fans flood London and just lifting that trophy at Wembley was an amazing feeling.”
The 24-year-old has already enjoyed promotion at multiple levels of the English game. Asked what his fondest career moments were, he added: “Promotion from League Two with Cambridge to League One. Promotion from the Championship to the Prem with Sunderland and signing here today.”
Alese has now joined Portsmouth as he looks to reignite his career following a lengthy spell on the sidelines, having not made a senior appearance since his injury setback. Despite that frustration, he said he was delighted to complete the move to the south coast. I’m delighted. It’s a massive club, and I’m really happy to be here. Can’t wait to get started. “I heard a bit of interest last week, Tuesday, and then had a chat with the gaffer yesterday. It was really good, and yeah, I just drove down and am happy to be here.”
That conversation proved decisive, though Alese suggested the club largely sold itself. “He didn’t have to sell it too much because I spoke to a lot of lads who were here, and they just had good things to say. I always keep an eye on the lads that I know here. It’s obviously like I said, it’s a massive club, and we just spoke about the way the team plays and where he sees me playing and that and what he wants from me and yeah, there wasn’t much to sell. The opportunity to play. Championship’s a really high level. Get back on my feet, play games and show my quality.”
Alese came through the academy system at West Ham United before beginning his senior career in the EFL. “I started off at West Ham Academy. I was there from eight until 21. I had a couple of loans to Accy (Accrington Stanley and Cambridge and now I’m here.”
He believes his experience of the second tier will stand him in good stead during the run-in. “It’s a really high level. Even though it’s second tier, there’s a lot of good players and a lot of good managers and a lot of good teams. Best position, centre half. I can also play at left back. My attributes, I describe myself as an aggressive, fast, calm leader by example.”
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Portsmouth are battling to retain their Championship status and are dealing with a raft of defensive injuries, with Alese expected to feature regularly and potentially go straight into the squad this weekend. “Well, the goal is to stay in the league, so anything I can do to help achieve our goal, that’s what I’ll do,” he said.
Alese added that cohesion will be key in the months ahead. “I think it just takes cohesion, working together, all working in the right direction, and yeah, we can achieve our goals. I’ve got a lot of lads, a lot of mates who have played here and have told me a lot about it, and obviously I’ve seen it through the years.”
As for his personal aims between now and the end of the season, Alese kept things simple. “Playing in front of the fans and winning games. That’s the most important thing in football. Just to impress, stay on the pitch, do what I need to do and help the team in whichever way possible.”
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