Pompey striker tipped to become £1m player

That is the confident prediction from Hampton & Richmond chairman Steve McPherson following the striker’s Fratton Park switch.

The former Barnet man blossomed with the Beavers, netting 23 times this season.

That prolific form earned Lowe a Pompey switch, although he has yet to make his first-team debut.

McPherson claims two clubs outbid the Blues for the 22-year-old.

However, Lowe had set his heart on Fratton Park as his destination following a successful trial.

And the National South club’s chairman is adamant the Blues have captured a prized asset which can considerably increase in value.

McPherson told The News: ‘I am surprised Jamal hasn’t gone straight into Portsmouth’s first-team.

‘That is no disrespect to the players in the first-team at the moment, but he is a different class.

‘He was by far the best player in a strong league like Conference South, scored on his England C debut and also got a goal for Pompey’s reserves this week.

‘To be fair, he is a million pound player, without a shadow of a doubt.

‘If Jamal does well at Portsmouth, which I think he will, they will make a profit in the next year or two if that is what they wish.

‘He is a million pound player and I know that because of the interest we’ve had for him and the goals he has scored.

‘And as soon as he gets into the first-team I think it will help them win promotion.

‘Jamal’s a really nice chap, level headed and down to earth, but, from a footballing point of view, has very quick feet, reads the game extremely well and gets a yard around the box to shoot on sight.

‘For us he played the number 10 role, floating off the centre-forward, drifting out wide and cutting in. Not a winger as such, but he did drift out wide.

‘Our manager normally plays with wing-backs and two holding midfield players, so Jamal was handed a free rein, floating either out wide or around the front line.’

Lowe scored eight minutes into his maiden Blues appearance during Tuesday’s 6-2 reserve-team victory at Exeter.

And McPherson revealed there had been plenty of interest in the youngster.

He added: ‘We had interest in Jamal from six or seven clubs and did the deal with Portsmouth because they were good to him, good to us and got in pretty quickly. They didn’t mess about.

‘We received a fee and, to be honest, probably could have got more, but we didn’t want to stand in his way.

‘A bigger fee was offered by two other clubs, but Jamal had set his heart on Portsmouth following a trial.

‘He felt it was the right move for him so we weren’t going to stand in his way, it was not about money.’