Portsmouth Keen to Resume Benjamin Arthur Loan After Injury Lay-Off

Portsmouth remain keen to continue working with Benjamin Arthur once the Brentford defender has recovered from the back injury which stopped his first sustained run of Championship football.

Arthur is expected to be out for at least 12 weeks after suffering a stress fracture, taking his recovery towards the end of the year. The 20-year-old is currently back with the Bees while the two clubs remain in contact over his treatment and what happens during the rest of his rehabilitation.

It is an unfortunate interruption for a player who had quickly earned a place in John Mousinho’s side after joining Portsmouth on a season-long loan in August.

“He’s back with Brentford at the minute and it’s a tough one to take for Benjy - and for us - with it being a stress fracture,” Portsmouth Sporting Director Rich Hughes told The News.

“We’re still awaiting a bit more comms from Brentford, who have been great in terms of their treatment with him.”

Arthur had initially needed to wait for his opportunity at Fratton Park. His first Championship appearance came from the bench before Mousinho handed him a start away at Lincoln City, where Portsmouth won 3-1 and the defender completed the full 90 minutes, remaining in the team from there.

Arthur faced tougher moments as he adjusted to regular Championship football, but he started each of Portsmouth’s next four league games and played every minute of that run. It included a clean sheet against Cardiff City and another 90 minutes away to Charlton shortly before the back problem emerged.

Arthur had made six Championship appearances by then, including five starts.

Mousinho had been encouraged by what he saw from him almost immediately. After the victory at Lincoln, he spoke about the trust Portsmouth could place in a defender making his first league start in English football.

“I think Benjy is unique in that he’s one of the centre-halves you can rely on to come in and play at a place like Lincoln, and I thought he did very well,” Mousinho told The News at the time.

“He grew into the game. To add context to the situation, this was his first league start in England. He’s had a bit of exposure at Brentford, who rate him really highly, and you can see why.”

That run at Portsmouth was already giving Arthur more regular senior football than he had previously experienced.

He spent the second half of last season on loan with Celtic and made six first-team appearances as they won the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup. Brentford were prepared to send him out again in the summer, this time to a Portsmouth side able to offer him Championship football over a full season.

Arthur moved permanently into Brentford’s first-team squad in 2025 after being named the club’s Under-21 Player of the Year. He subsequently signed a contract running until 2031, with Brentford holding an option for another season, and made his senior debut against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup.

Two more appearances followed before his move to Celtic.

His opening weeks at Portsmouth showed why another loan made sense. Arthur went from waiting for his first league start to completing five successive Championship matches, and he remains in Portsmouth's plans

For now, the focus has moved back to Brentford and his recovery. Portsmouth are waiting for further communication from the Bees while Arthur receives treatment, with the initial 12-week estimate likely to keep him out until close to the turn of the year.

There should still be a sizeable part of the Championship season remaining by then, giving Arthur the opportunity to return to Portsmouth and pick up the loan spell that had started to provide regular football before his injury.