Portsmouth boss' midfield confession leaves door ajar for late-window move for Millwall's Ben Thompson

And that has left the door ajar for a move for Millwall’s Ben Thompson before the close of the transfer window.

The News understands the Pompey boss remains open-minded over a bid for the Blues fans favourite.

Cowley bolstered his threadbare options in the middle of the park with a double deal this week, as Joe Morrell arrived from Luton Town and Louis Thompson signed after leaving Norwich City.

SUBSCRIBE today for the latest Pompey updates

The pair join Shaun Williams and Ryan Tunnicliffe to make an experienced quartet of options in the middle of the park.

Those additions seemed to lessen the chances of a move for Millwall’s Thompson this month, with the fans’ favourite the recruit many fans have long craved.

That was evident as 2,000 travelling fans sang ‘sign him up’ to the 25-year-old, as he warmed up before his second-half introduction at The Den on Tuesday night.

Accommodating Thompson’s wages, believed to be in the region of £9,000 per week, has always been the issue for Pompey.

That has made a loan move a more likely avenue to travel, with that become a waiting game to see how things develop as the transfer window deadline nears.

Cowley also has to weigh up how much of his budget he wants to place in any further midfield recruits, with a striker also on his shopping list.

But the Pompey boss made it clear he’s still not satisfied with his improved options in the middle third of the pitch.

And the type of midfielder he’d look to bring in appears to be a role Thompson could fill.

He said: ‘I don’t like contentment.

‘I’m happier in that area than I was last Thursday when I had two, which was quickly going to become one!

‘I’m happy where we are today but still you would like five (midfielders in total), maybe an eight/10 - someone who could do both.’

Cowley is keen on a deal for former Charlton and West Ham talent Jay Mingi, who remains with the club after joining on trial this summer.

But the Pompey boss doesn’t view the 20-year-old as a midfield option at present, seeing him instead as a project for the future with a loan move his likely path forward if he signs.

Cowley added: ‘Jay is just a young lad and if we took him he would go in with Jayden Reid and that group.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

The News has launched a subscription offer which gives you unlimited access to all of our Pompey coverage, starting at less than 14p a day.

You can subscribe here to get the latest news from Fratton Park - and to support our local team of expert Pompey writers.