Field Insider

Profile

Full nameZachary Swanson
PositionCentre-back
NationalityEngland
Age25
Date of birth28 Sept 2000
BirthplaceCambridge
Height189 cm
Shirt number#22
ClubPortsmouth
Centre-backalso played MID
33
Appearances
2
Goals
1
Assists
2227
Minutes

Domestic-league season · Portsmouth.

Injury-affected season

Missed 7 of Portsmouth's ~46 games this season through 7 injury absences (inactive, knee). He still appeared 33 times — a solid return given how little of the season he was available. His rating is judged mainly on the games he was fit to play.

Performance data · by competition

CompetitionAppsGAMinMatch
Championship332122276.95
League Cup100906.3
FA Cup100735.3

Scout report

Key starterBall-winning Central defender

Z. Swanson is a 25-year-old central defender at Portsmouth, rated 61.7 overall by Field Insider's model, ranking 182nd of 493 on scout potential in the Championship. In his prime years, he has been a regular starter this season (63.4% of available minutes). His defensive output reads 4.24 tackles, blocks and interceptions per 90. Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on Swanson.

Judged on this season alone, Swanson graded 29 — a workmanlike campaign that ranks 39th of 82 of the 82 centre-backs in the Championship, on 5 clean sheets and 4.243 defensive actions per 90.

Year-on-year, that's broadly in line with last season (Season 27 → 29). Across the 5 seasons we hold, it's his best return yet.

On long-term talent our Rating reads 62, top 36% of the 82 centre-backs in the Championship. At 25 Swanson is in his prime years, and a market index of 28.4 reflects that trajectory.

Read the appearance count in context: Swanson missed 7 games through injury (inactive, knee) out of roughly 46 this season. The 33 he did play is a solid return on the time he was fit, and his ratings are weighted toward those games rather than the ones he sat out injured.

From the career report
Read the full career report →

A career still climbing — Swanson is at his peak right now, and the curve hasn't flattened.

Peak: 2025/26Trending upBreakout: 2024/25Stepped up 2024/25Injury-hit 2025/26
Current potentialTop 36% centre-backs · ChampionshipCurrent season39th of 82 centre-backs · Championship39th-best centre-back in the Championship182nd in the Championship · potential29th-highest potential centre-back in the Championship
61.7
Ratingi
29th of 82 centre-backs
28.7
Seasoni
below regular-starter level
63.4%
Minutes
a regular starter
4.24
Def. actions / 90
solid defensive volume

Output in context · Portsmouth finished 18th of 24 · a lower-table side

4.24
Def. / 90
63
Tackles
36
Interceptions
5
Clean sheets

4.24 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — solid defensive volume, with 5 clean sheets across 33 appearances. Doing that for a lower-table side (18th of 24) is harder than the bare numbers suggest: a back line under more pressure has to defend more often and protects fewer leads, so the volume — and any clean sheets — carry real weight. Going forward he chipped in 2 goals and 1 assist — a useful bonus from the back.

Strengths

  • Availability. On the pitch for 63.4% of available minutes — a dependable presence in the XI.
  • Defensive volume. 4.24 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — does the unseen work.

Watch points

  • Few red flags. No obvious weaknesses in the current-season profile — consistency is the next test.

Outlook

With a Rating of 61.7, Swanson carries the 29th-highest potential of the centre-backs in the Championship (top 36%), and he is posting that for a lower-table side (Portsmouth finished 18th of 24) — individual numbers are harder to earn on a struggling team, so his underlying level likely sits a touch above the ranking. Defensively he reads as solid defensive volume (4.24 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90). Approaching peak years; value is still building (price multiplier 2×) with the best seasons likely ahead. Doing it for a lesser side, he profiles as a value buy for a club higher up the table.

Generated from Field Insider's rating model · AI-written analysis to follow.

Transfer news

No transfer news found for this player.