Portsmouth struck transfer gold with Norwich City ace who was eventually worth £4.5m | OneFootball

Abu Kamara was crucial to Portsmouth's League One title win in the 2023/24 season

To all Portsmouth fans, the League One title-winning squad of 2023/24 will always hold a special place in their hearts.

John Mousinho, in his first full season as a manager, masterminded the Blues out of the third tier - reaching the Championship for the first time since 2012.

There were some critical performers that season, from the defensive steel of Conor Shaughnessy and Connor Ogilvie, the goalkeeping heroics of Will Norris, and the goalscoring prowess of Colby Bishop.

But, one of the key players from that campaign, and arguably Pompey's player of the season, was somebody signed on loan from Norwich City with only three senior appearances under his belt beforehand.

Portsmouth hit the jackpot with Abu Kamara signing

Understandably, the signing was met with very cautious optimism around Fratton Park, as Pompey's record of signing young players on loan with relatively no experience wasn't great to say the least, with both Miguel Azeez and Dane Scarlett struggling on the South Coast the two seasons prior, despite being highly rated at Arsenal and Tottenham

But, Abu Kamara immediately gained plaudits from Pompey fans before even playing a game, with many noticing how genuinely excited he seemed for the season ahead: "Honestly, I want to get a promotion medal," said the young Englishman when speaking to the club's internal media. "I feel like Portsmouth's a great club to do that at, as they are obviously a big club in this league."

And, as soon as he got his first goal for the club - a tap-in in a big home win over Peterborough United in early September - the ball was rolling.

He then scored a beautiful volley in a draw at home to Charlton Athletic, also scoring a fantastic double away to Shrewsbury Town in mid-December as Pompey were cruising to a promotion, and the title as well. In fact, it took Pompey until 25 November to suffer a defeat that season, although it was a shock 4-0 reverse at home to Blackpool.

In terms of Kamara, he was growing into an absolute must-start for Pompey, and was a real threat for any League One left-back. Mostly down to the quality of his goals, as this strike at Fleetwood Town is a prime example of a typical 'Kamara goal' as he turned past a couple of defenders before finding the bottom corner from the edge of the box with a beautiful curling finish.

That was to be the end of Abu Kamara's Pompey story though

Despite being a massive fan favourite, Kamara headed back to Norfolk at the end of his loan spell, although his relationship with the Carrow Road club was slightly strained after the appalling comments made by then-director of football Stuart Webber that he would've ended up "in jail" or "something else" if he hadn't had become a footballer.

And the Canaries accepted an offer from Hull City, believed to be in the region of £4.5m with add-ons, in order for the winger to move to the MKM Stadium. Things weren't exactly rosy though in his early months, with then-manager Ruben Selles making Kamara sit alongside him in an interview after controversial previous comments.

Despite making 40 appearances, and scoring five times, Kamara was sent on loan in the summer of 2025 to Jose Bordelas' notoriously defensive Getafe side, and he struggled to make an impact initially there.

Still, though, Pompey fans certainly won't forget the impact that he made on one of the club's best seasons in their recent history, especially given the fact that Pompey were really struggling to replace him.

After he vacated that right-wing in summer 2024, Pompey had many different options the season afterward to play in that position, but didn't nail down a firm replacement until Matt Ritchie gained consistent starts in the second half of the season.

And, upon the Scottish international's departure, Pompey then still struggled to find a consistent right-winger in the 2024/25 season, further showing how Kamara and Pompey were a match made in heaven.