Insider: Cheltenham in no rush to sell Pompey target

The striker is on Kenny Jackett's radar as he draws up a list of replacements for in-demand forward Conor Chaplin. The News spoke to Jon Palmer, from Gloucestershire Live, to get the low down on him. He's what he had to say...

Mo Eisa exceeded all expectations in his first season in the Football League. The way he stepped up from Greenwich Borough to score 25 goals was quite incredible. When Cheltenham first signed him, I think they thought he was just worth a chance and he wouldn't go automatically into the team. But he started scoring from the first game and it wasn't long until they put him on a longer, improved contract. They got him very cheap to start with, but it soon became clear he was going to be useful. It was within a month that he signed a two-year contract extension.

Eisa scored on his debut at Morecambe and then netted two against Oxford in the League Cup three days later. He didn't really have many droughts during the season. Eisa bagged a hat-trick and five braces, with a lot of his goals coming away from home. Without his goals, Cheltenham would have been in real trouble. He was one of the shining lights during a bit of a disappointing season. Eisa's main attribute is his finishing ability, but he's quick and has got a lot fitter during the campaign.

He spent the first half of the season in a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 but what really impressed me was when he was playing up front on his own towards the last few month of the season. Eisa was used as a central striker in a 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 system and he performed really well in that role. That's when he really kicked on. Cheltenham won't settle for much less than £1.5m, but they would be open to negotiating. He's got two years left on his contract and Cheltenham are in a strong position '“ they don't need to sell him and are not struggling for money. But if that sort of money did come in then it would smash all the records at Cheltneham and would make a massive difference to the club. They're not desperate to cash in so it's going to take an offer they can't refuse to let him go. If you look at how far he's come in the past year from Isthmian League south division to scoring 23 goals in League Two, and he's 23, he's ready to kick on. I don't think he'll go to the Premier League. A top level League One team would be the best place for him.

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Who is Pompey striker Mo Eisa?