Bradford City Signs Hayden Matthews on Loan

Bradford City have bolstered their back line with the season-long loan signing of Portsmouth defender Hayden Matthews.

The 22-year-old centre-back, capped once by Australia, heads to Mbanq Valley Parade looking for a fresh run of games after an injury-disrupted spell at Fratton Park. Portsmouth paid £1.25m to bring him in from Sydney FC in January 2025, but his momentum stalled just as he was trying to establish himself.

Matthews has made 20 appearances for Pompey, with his last competitive outing coming in the 1-1 draw against Birmingham at Fratton Park on the final day of last season. Since then, fitness issues have kept him on the fringes.

Now he becomes Bradford’s third recent loan addition, joining QPR midfielder Kieran Morgan and Blackburn Rovers defender George Pratt in a squad clearly being reshaped for a push up the table. The question is simple: can Matthews turn potential into presence and anchor a Bradford defence that suddenly looks very different?