Danny Cowley’s message to Portsmouth fans with deals now lined up to arrive this summer ahead of battle with Derby County, Ipswich Town, Charlton Athletic & Co next term

And the Blues boss has underlined a conviction he will be able to attract the talent to fuel a promotion charge next term.

Cowley revealed there are deals tentatively agreed over loan players to arrive, but Pompey will need to sit tight until later in the window for moves to be completed.

Meanwhile, Marlon Pack remains firmly in the Londoner’s sights as the Buckland boy weighs up his options with Derby also keen.

West Brom keeper Josh Griffiths is a loan target, while a deal still sits on the table for Aiden O’Brien after impressing last term.

Elsewhere in the striking department, George Hirst is a wanted man still with the likes of Kion Etete, Morgan Whittaker, Kyle Joseph and Brandon Thomas-Asante all on Pompey’s radar.

Yet, there’s still to be a deal concluded after the transfer window opened last Friday.

That’s a cause of consternation to some supporters, but Cowley believes Pompey will be rewarded for showing composure.

He said: ‘In an ideal world we’d like to do our business early, and we’d like at least 75 per cent of the group together come June 20 when we come back for pre-season.

‘With all the will in the world and everyone working really hard, it’s not always possible.

‘We know free agent deals aren’t always the easiest to do and with fees there’s three parties who need to be satisfied in yourselves, the selling club and the player,

‘Then loan players always tend to take a little bit longer.

‘We have some potential agreements which have good pace, but ultimately deals happen as pre-season unfold.

‘Most clubs, us included, tend to want to have a good look at players and work with their players in the front part of pre-season.

‘It’s a really crucial time for the development of young players.

‘We wouldn’t allow any of our young players to go out in the first part of pre-season, because ultimately we want to see them come back after their close-season programmes, see how they’ve developed, get some really good training into them and ultimately set them up for a successful season.

‘It’s no surprise other clubs feel the same.’

Pompey have a much-trumpeted policy of hunting for players this summer who are on the rise and have potential for further growth.

That, of course, will come at a cost if that talent is to be developed for the Blues and not someone else moving forward.

What is clear is Cowley has the confidence to be able to not only unearth but nurture players when given the backing.

He said: ‘We will hopefully be able to bring in some young players this transfer window we are hopefully able to work with on a daily basis. We are confident we can develop them.

‘They may just start underneath the starting XI, but with time and the right development can progress, flourish and become a permanent fixture in the starting XI.’