Birmingham City have announced the signing of August Priske – and some football fans may immediately recognize his last name.
Legendary manager Harry Redknapp will certainly recognize it, having once been Priske’s father’s boss in the Premier League.
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Brian Priske played 30 first division games for Portsmouth in 2005/06, contributing to their legendary relegation success.
During this campaign, Redknapp completely ignored the Dane in selection, leaving him firmly in the pecking order.
The former Tottenham manager became Pompey manager in December 2005, immediately ditching Priske and opting for other options.
However, following injuries at right-back, Redknapp was forced to use Prisk and he started the final nine games of the season.
In those nine games, Portsmouth took 20 points from 27 available, securing Premier League safety in remarkable fashion.
Of the snub and subsequent success, Priske told The News, “In some ways I think I ultimately won Harry over.”
He later revealed that Redknapp had admitted his guilt, saying: “We had a little conversation and he actually said that he really appreciated what I did… he admitted that maybe he was wrong over a long period of time.”
Now, 20 years later, Priske’s son August has signed for Birmingham – a club that Redknapp also managed throughout his career.
The 21-year-old striker has arrived in England from Djurgardens IF to follow in his father’s footsteps and sign a five-year contract.
Priske Jr. will now look to help the Blues climb the Championship table and fight for promotion.
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Arrival in Birmingham
Priske began his career in his native Denmark with Midtjylland before being loaned out to the Netherlands twice.
Two years ago he signed with Swedish club Djurgardens IF and scored 24 goals in 52 games across all competitions.
Last season he scored 18 goals in 27 Allsvenskan games for the club, becoming the league’s top scorer.
After moving to Birmingham, Priske, who also plays for Denmark U21, said: “I’m really happy.”
“I feel like I’ve found something special here with this club, a great city and great fans. Lots of exciting things for the future.”
“To be honest, it was a given.”
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Take the next step
Priske’s father had spoken about his son’s signing with Birmingham before re-posting the transfer announcement on social media.
Speaking to Danish media ahead of the confirmation, Priske Sr. said: “It’s great that he can take the next step.
“It was close this summer and he’s just had an even better season. It would be completely natural if it happened now.”
“He really loves Djurgården and has some fantastic teammates and friends. And not just for a short time. I’m sure it’s for a lifetime.”
“And at the same time his sports manager, Bosse Andersson, meant an incredible amount to August.
“If a great transfer goes through now, they – his team-mates and bosses – will be very proud of him and they have been fantastic.”