Portsmouth CEO reveals club's contract stance as 17 players enter final months of exisiting Fratton Park deals

Pompey will begin the process of dealing with their soon-to-be out-of-contract players ‘when the time is right’.

That’s the simple message from Blues chief executive Andy Cullen when the subject was brought up during his latest Q&A with the club.

The League One leaders have 17 players currently on their books who are entering the final months of their Fratton Park deals. That includes eight first-team players on permanent contracts - Joe Morrell, Sean Raggett, Marlon Pack, Joe Rafferty, Connor Ogilvie, Zak Swanson Denver Hume and Ryan Schofield - and their three loanees: Alex Robertson, Tino Anjorin and Abu Kamara.

Josh Martin’s short-term deal ends next month. Meanwhile, decisions will also have to be made on youngsters Haji Mnoga, Liam Vincent, Toby Steward, Harry Jewitt-White and Josh Oluwayemi, who are presently gaining senior experience away from Fratton Park.

Pompey’s main focus, of course, remains on maintaining their promotion push and retaining their handsome lead at the top of the table as they prepare for the second half of the season. Where the Blues end up at the end of this term will no doubt have a major influence on decisions that have to be made on those entering the final six months or less of their PO4 stays. 

And it appears Pompey will hold fire on beginning any negotiations until they have a better understanding of what division they will be operating at in 2024-25.

When asked if the club were in talks with those players nearing the end of their contracts, Cullen responded: ’I think we have eight players out of contract next season. We obviously have the three loans at the moment as well who would return but we do have options on some of those players and I think once you start to look at this process there is a right time to do it and what you don’t want to do is be out of sync with different people.

‘So there’ll be a right time to do it and those contract discussions will commence when the time is right.’

The News understands that the Blues have options on current first-teamers Joe Morrell and Zak Swanson, as well as Denver Hume.