'Our fans will enjoy him': Portsmouth chief on why eight-month wait to see forgotten signing will be worth it

The Fratton faithful have so far been patiently waiting eight months for a first glimpse of John Mousinho’s forgotten signing.

But Rich Hughes is confident they will ‘enjoy’ finally seeing the highly-regarded Ibane Bowat back in action when next season kicks off.

Pompey’s sporting director is convinced the former Fulham man would have been a ‘pivotal player’ in their first season back in the Championship - instead he didn’t play a match.

While shooting in a small-sided game in training just 11 days into his stay, Bowat ruptured the patellar tendon in his knee. That September injury subsequently ruled him out for the remainder of the season.

However, in the final weeks of Pompey’s successful fight against relegation, the 22-year-old returned to full training.

And Hughes is delighted to potentially have Bowat back in the first-team frame when pre-season resumes at the end of June.

Hughes: He was going to be a pivotal player this season

He told The News: ‘We are excited to see Ibane, he has done really well in terms of rehab and recovery and was involved with the training group at the end of the season, which is great.

‘There is going to be some work to be done over pre-season, but we are really excited to get him back and in the fold for next year.

‘Ibane was very much going to be a pivotal player. I wouldn't say it’s as binary as whether he starts or doesn’t start, but we thought he would be a player who would affect the XI for games this season.

‘That’s why we were so disappointed when he got injured - and are now so excited to see him back out there.

‘He has some really exciting tools. He’s powerful, aggressive, a quick centre-back who can defend one-v-one, he’s got some strength in the air and can handle the ball.

‘He had a good season playing competitive football last year and I think will be one the fans will enjoy seeing.’

Portsmouth defender has international experience at youth level

A six-capped Scotland Under-21 youth international, Bowat played youth football with Chelsea before joining Fulham in 2017 and progressing into their Premier League 2 side.

Although never featuring in the Cottagers’ first-team, instead the defender was loaned out to Dutch top-flight club Den Bosch for 2022-23, where he featured 16 times, all of them starts.

He then represented TSV Hartberg in the Austrian Bundesliga in 2023-24, with 31 appearances, one goal and one red card. Yet again, all of his outings were starts.

Portsmouth saw Fulham man as a player of huge potential

That progress brought him to the attention of Pompey, who identified the then 21-year-old as a player of huge potential, persuading them to pay an undisclosed fee in the final days of the summer transfer window.

Bowat was subsequently unused on the bench in August’s 3-1 defeat to Sunderland, before damaging his knee in training.

Encouragingly, however, he returned to training along with fellow long-term absentee Paddy Lane before the end of the campaign, teeing them up for pre-season.

Bowat, who signed a three-year deal with a club option, is contracted until the summer of 2027 at Fratton Park.

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