'I give up' - Bolton boss reacts to promotion twist as Portsmouth handed transfer update

Pompey secured a dramatic 3-2 win over Barnsley last night to confirm their place in the Championship next season with Conor Shaughnessy’s 89th minute goal sending Fratton Park into complete ecstasy. John Mousinho’s side are now League One champions with two games still to play this season before they head up to EFL’s second-tier league for 2024/25.

Following a night of huge celebrations in the city, Pompey can now look ahead to strengthening their squad ahead of the upcoming transfer window. Here is the latest news from Pompey and their League One rivals...

Transfer update on Pompey target

After securing promotion in his first full season, League One Manager of the Season Mousinho can now turn his attentions to what could be a busy transfer window as the club look to deepen the competition within the squad. One name who has been consistently linked with a move to Fratton Park is the Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Marc Leonard. Leonard has spent the last two seasons on loan at Northampton Town, playing a huge role in the club’s promotion to League One in 2022/23 and has been instrumental in helping Jon Brady’s side remain in the top half of the table this season.

Speaking in a recent interview, as reported by The Northampton Chronicle, Brady provided an update on the 22-year-old and has indicated that the Scottish U21 international is unlikely to remain at Sixfields Stadium beyond this season.

Northampton Town will play their final home game of the season this Saturday as they welcome Exeter City and Brady has urged fans to come and support what will ‘probably’ be Leonard’s final match for the Cobblers.

He said: “It would be great to see fans come down and see Marc Leonard and Kieron Bowie play at home probably for one last time because they are two high-quality players. They’ll go back to their respective clubs in the summer but they have both been brilliant for us during the two years. In my time here and from knowing the Cobblers over the years, I’d say he (Leonard) is probably one of the best players to ever wear a Cobblers shirt.”

‘I give up’ - Bolton boss airs frustrations

Promotion hopefuls Bolton scuppered their chances of securing passageway to the Championship of their own accord after drawing 2-2 with Shrewsbury. Ian Evatt’s side could have sealed an automatic promotion spot if they had won all remaining games but their fate now hangs in the balance.

Speaking after their draw, Evatt believes that not enough was done by referee Scot Oldham on Shrewsbury Town’s time-wasting tactics with a total of nine minutes of stoppage time being played across both halves. The fourth official Christopher Ward put up five minutes board in the second half, with only one minute being added for time-wasting and, on a frustrating night for the Toughsheet Community Stadium side, Evatt claimed ‘you just can’t win.’

“I am so frustrated – I give up, you just can’t win,” he said. “From where we were at the start of the season to where we are now is night and day. And that is just not right or correct.

“I was told four minutes for the substitutes, one for the time-wasting. If that was one minute, then I give up. They were even doing it during time added on, we had the ball on the edge of their box and as soon as the five minutes were up, he blows the whistle. It is such a frustration, but I feel like I am banging my head against a brick wall.