Portsmouth defender has been watching Sunderland, Oxford and Co's recruitment - but he's not panicked

No doubt some fans are casting envious glances as Pompey's League One rivals go about their business.

Bristol Rovers and Blackpool have been ploughing on ahead with their recruitment.

Rovers have already brought in six new players, including former Hawks striker Jonah Ayunga, while Adam May is also a target following his Fratton Park release.

Blackpool have signed the likes of CJ Hamilton and Jerry Yates for fees from Mansfield and Rotherham respectively.

Meanwhile, Sunderland – who'll again be expected to mount a promotion challenge – have drafted in Aiden O'Brien and Bailey Wright. Both left Championship outfits in Millwall and Bristol City earlier this summer. Statements of intent, some might say.

Then Oxford, who beat the Blues in the play-offs, have drafted in Matty Taylor, Joel Cooper and most recently Sean Clare.

Pompey's only signing to date is Sean Raggett, who returns following his loan spell from Norwich last season.

The centre-back has been keeping an eye on which sides are bolstering their squads over the summer.

But Raggett's not overly concerned ahead of the Blues' renewed charge for the Championship.

He said: ‘I have a look at what clubs are signing which players but not to think "they're going to do well this season etc".

‘It's more to really see who I could potentially be coming up against in the season, so that's why I'll have a little look.

‘But I'm not too concerned about our rivals because I know that we have good quality players in the squad.

‘If we play as well as we can play then we'll have no problems. I think we've got to focus on ourselves.’

Raggett was part of the side that suffered play-off semi-final defeat to Oxford last month.

Pompey were beaten 5-4 on penalties at the Kassam Stadium, following a 2-2 draw after both legs.

As a consequence, the Blues are preparing for a fourth successive season in League One.

Jackett's troops are now back in training ahead of their curtain-raiser on September 12.

Since returning, Raggett admitted Pompey haven't been dissecting their loss against Oxford.

Instead, all the focus has been on looking ahead and ensuring that there's no hangover.

‘We haven't spoken about the play-offs since we’ve been back too much, to be honest,’ added Raggett.

‘It was spoken about a lot directly after the game when we were on the coach on our way back to Portsmouth from Oxford.

‘Everyone has had a month to digest it and get over it now.

‘We don't want to be dwelling on that. You do see a lot of teams who miss out on promotion one year and then struggle at the start of the next season.

‘We don't want to be one of those teams.’

Raggett’s now gearing up for his second year at Fratton Park.

It's the first time in two-and-half years since he’s found himself a permanent home.

The defender spent the second half of the 2017-18 season back on loan at Lincoln, having joined Norwich that summer from the Imps.

Raggett was on loan at Rotherham in 2018-19 before joining the Blues last summer.

And he’s looking forward to putting down some roots – even though he’s currently lodging a hotel!

Raggett said: ‘I’ve moved out of my old place so I'm actually in a hotel and need to find a new place.

‘It’s not a big issue. I know the area so I’ll be able to find somewhere fairly quickly.

‘I’ll probably move a little bit outside of Portsmouth where it’s a bit quieter, although it was good to get to know the area being in Gunwharf Quays.

‘It’s my second season here and it’ll be the longest I've been anywhere since at Lincoln.

‘When you’re constantly moving, it can be hard to get to know new team-mates and how teams play, but I know all the boys and the ambitions which is definitely helpful.’