Phil Smith

Pompey made their 4th January signing on Thursday, bringing in Sunderland's Aji Alazi in what looks to be a sensible, calculated gamble.

That's the take from Phil Smith of the Sunderland Echo, who has seen plenty of the defender.

He believes Pompey have landed an exceptional Championship talent, if they can keep him on the pitch.

The 25-year-old joins on loan for the rest of the season, as he looks to get back to his best.

He's been sidelined for the past year after breaking his leg last January, and his entire three-and-a-half years in the North East have been a stop-starter fare, limiting him to just 46 appearances.

But when he's fit, Smith is convinced Alize is a cut above the Championship relegation battle.

He summed up the signing.

a good one, if he can stay fit.

That's probably how I would summarize it.

He hasn't had the career he'd want at Sunderland because of availability, not ability.

He's a really, really good championship defender, intelligent, with great physical attributes.

He's got a hell of a leap on him, he's very good in the air and he's a great athlete who can get up and down the pitch.

He's a really good character as well.

Anyone you speak to will only have nice things to say about Ajay.

He's a really down-to-earth, humble guy.

He's very studious and thinks a lot about his game so it has the potential to be a really good addition for Portsmouth.

The obvious caveat is his availability between now and the end of the season.

Smith believes that if fitness weren't an issue, Elise wouldn't be heading to a team fighting for survival.

I'd probably suggest that if he were fully fit and able to play 46 games, he wouldn't be going to a team fighting for its life at the bottom of the championship.

When I heard about the move my first thought was that this is a really sensible, calculated gamble by Pompey.