Yet the head coach is adamant the highly-regarded 20-year-old fits the profile of player the Blues are eager to bring to Fratton Park.
Matthews has become Pompey’s first £1m signing since John Mousinho arrived from Doncaster in July 2019.
Capped by Australia in November, it also represents a record fee for an A-League defender – and third highest overall in the competition’s history.
Regardless, Matthews perfectly suits the recruitment model overseen by sporting director Rich Hughes, focusing on young, talented players.
Although Mousinho acknowledges every signing in football is not without its risks.
He told The News: ‘I believe it’s the highest amount we have paid for a player since I have been here.
‘It’s a good sign of where we are going as a football club. These are the sort of signings that, if we can get it right and really nail down with this sort of profile, can really benefit us.
‘Yes we’ve got to pay a bit of money for these sorts of players and we never want to waste money, we’re not just doing it for the sake of it. However, in terms of what we’ve got with Hayden, we think it’s a really good asset to have.
‘Every signing is a gamble, there is no signing which isn’t a gamble to a certain extent. You can spend £80m on a player and they don’t turn out right – and that’s in the Premier League at the top level, right all across the country, through Europe and the rest of the world.
‘There’s absolutely no such thing as a dead cert in football. There is always an element of risk if you’ve worked with the player before, if you have never worked with the player, if you’ve seen him a thousand times, if you’ve seen him once.
‘You have to take that on board and we take all of those factors into account when signing a player – and that’s exactly the same with Hayden.’
Matthews has largely played as a left-sided centre-back for Sydney this season, although Pompey want the right-footer operating on the right for them.
Standing at 6ft 5in and regarded as a pacy player, these are also welcome attributes added to Mousinho’s defensive options.
While the 20-year-old’s comfort on the ball is also perceived as essential to how the Blues operate under their head coach.
Mousinho added: ‘We are not necessarily all about height, but having a physical presence is certainly something we can value in a centre-half. You see some of the centre-half partnerships throughout the league and they are all big lads.
‘There is absolutely no use having the height without the aggression, without the ability to win it aerially as well. So we are really excited about having someone physically dominant as Hayden is and can be.
‘That is definitely an area of his game which he needs to work on and improve, particularly coming into this league.
‘He is very calm and composed on the ball, athletic, has a good top speed, is very, very quick in terms of defending the channels, and aggressive in terms of his defending.
‘Defensively first and foremost, he’s really impressive in terms of the way he goes about his business. On the ball he can drive, he can break through lines, he can pick out a pass as well.
‘The intensity of the game here might mean less time on the ball, certainly from what we have seen in the A-League.
‘That will definitely be an area of his game he needs to get up to scratch quicker with, but I don’t think it will be a problem with the adjustment.’
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