Kenny Jackett gives intriguing insight into Portsmouth's summer recruitment plans

This season's League One promotion race looks set to go down to the wire, with the Blues one of several teams who are genuine contenders to go up.

Although Kenny Jackett’s men slipped out of the play-off positions following Saturday’s defeat at Fleetwood, they only trail leaders Rotherham by seven points having played a game fewer.

And despite not knowing if they’ll be in the Championship or third tier next term, Pompey’s transfer plans have already begun.

Jackett confessed those at the very top of his shopping list will only move to Fratton Park if a return to the second tier is achieved.

But the boss believes others would join regardless of the Blues’ league status.

Jackett said: ‘I think you do have to plan for both.

‘Sometimes, though, it does overlap. You have a list of players that are maybe in Portsmouth’s bracket.

‘There is a bracket for a club and scouting is about assessing that bracket.

‘You can be searching for players or chasing players that were never in your remit even if you did go up.

‘Assessing players that are within your remit of either division is quite a big thing because you can spend months scouting and chasing players that you look back at and think “we never had a chance”.

‘There is optimism and you try to go for the best players, but there has got to be realism as well.

‘What I’d say is there's got to be players on Portsmouth’s radar whose next realistic career move would be coming to us.

‘There are some at the very top of the list that would only come to us in the Championship. Then there are some that’d come to us in both divisions.

‘There are not necessarily two lists. There is a list of players that we like, that suit us and their next career move could be coming to Portsmouth.’

Jackett stressed Pompey have to be pragmatic when it comes to chasing potential new faces.

Even if the Blues were to return to the Championship for the first time since 2012, there would be players who’d still be out of their category.

The manager added: ‘In terms of recruitment, you can chase players then you see where they go and realise you never really had a chance.

‘Trying for the best and being optimistic is great but you don’t get that time back.

‘Every Saturday is an opportunity to watch and scout players. You can’t waste those.

‘It’s very easy to go a month or six weeks and not get a lot of it.’