The 8 Portsmouth players who really need to return for pre-season training with points to prove and fire in their bellies

Pompey return to pre-season training in nine days time as work begins in earnest for the start of their 2025-26 Championship season.

More than seven weeks will have passed since the players last laced up their boots and headed onto the pitch to take on Hull on the final day of last term.

And while their personal instagram accounts have shown John Mousinho’s squad have enjoyed their time off, with weddings, marriage proposals, stag dos and holidays snaps a common feature on ‘Pompey’ social media - there will still have been an expectation on the entire squad to retain a decent level of fitness.

Indeed, when the players report back for duty on Monday, June 23, they’ll be put through rigorous fitness tests to see whether they’ve stuck to the personal programmes that were set out for them ahead of their summer departures or whether they’ve been enjoying their time away from the pitch a little bit too much.

With the Blues keen to build on last season’s 16th place finish and really cement their standing as a Championship outfit, Mousinho and his backroom team will be hoping that the former outweighs the latter as they aim to get down to business as quickly as possible.

They’ll also be hoping certain members of their ranks will return with heightened determination to ensure they’re front and centre of next season’s plans.

With that in mind, here’s the Pompey players who will have points to prove and fire in their bellies as pre-season edges near.

Jacob Farrell

Pompey fans will be forgiven if they’ve totally forgotten about the defender’s Fratton Park presence.

A permanent signing from Central Coast Mariners last July, the young Aussie featured just once for the Blues last season when he started the goalless draw against Sheffield United on September 28.

A recurring knee injury prevented him from adding to that solitary appearance and allowed Connor Ogilvie to find his feet in the Championship after a difficult start to life in the second tier.

To fast-track his recovery, Pompey allowed Farrell to return to Australia before the end of the season so he could work with the Socceroos’ medical team.

Hopefully that will have done the trick and will allow the left-back to report back to duty fit and healthy. He’s got a lot of catching up to do and really needs to kick-start his Pompey career. A good pre-season is vitally important for the 22-year-old.

Ibane Bowat

There was a mixture of huge anticipation and relief when Pompey announced the Fulham defender’s signing on a three-year-deal on August 30 last season. Numerous injuries at centre-back had made the Fratton faithful nervous about the squad’s perceived lack of quality depth, so Bowat’s arrival answered many a prayer.

Unfortunately, though, the Scotland Under-21 international soon became the next victim of the Blues’ injury jinx. Indeed, without even kicking a ball for the club, the defender suffered a season-ending knee injury in training.

That early prognosis was true, with Bowat still waiting to make his Pompey debut. So he’ll no doubt be delighted to properly return to the fold and make up for lost time when the Blues report back on June 23.

Standing in his way, though, will be the likes of Conor Shaughnessy, Regan Poole and Hayden Matthews. And with Pompey keen to add another central defender - possibly Rob Atkinson - to an already rammed department, the onus will be on Bowat to make an immediate first impression.

Matt Ritchie

The Gosport-born Fratton favourite made 41 appearances for Pompey last season as he enjoyed his maiden season back at Fratton Park after more than a decade away.

His presence on this list might surprise some, particularly as 28 of his 39 league appearances came as starts, while the 35-year-old also skippered the Blues in Marlon Pack’s absence.

However, Harvey Blair’s inclusion in the starting XI for the final two games of the season at Ritchie’s expense shows Mousinho’s desire to get the former Liverpool youngster first-team ready.

That’s likely to continue in pre-season, with Pompey determined to get a tune out of the inexperienced winger who boosts bags of talent.

That, potentially, could see Ritchie having to share the workload down Pompey’s right flank next season.

But one thing can delay that - the master, Ritchie, rocking up for pre-season and showing his young apprentice he still has plenty of learning to do.

Abdoulaye Kamara

It’s fair to say the young midfielder’s first season at Pompey was far from a success.

Just five Championship appearances and no match-day involvements since defeat to Wycombe in the FA Cup in January, Kamara was so far on the fringes of that it required a new post code.

Mousinho put the 20-year-old’s continued absence down to a change of playing style. The former Borussia Dortmund man will need to hit the ground running in pre-season and prove he’s adaptable if he’s to stand any chance of breaking his way in the head coach’s plans.

If he can’t, a parting of ways will surely be on the cards.

Thomas Waddingham

The 20-year has already been told he’ll be part of the Blues’ first-team plans next season, following his January arrival from Brisbane Roar.

The young Aussie has always been considered a long-term project for the Fratton Park club - but he’s already shown an ability to adapt to the rigors of Championship football having scored on his debut against West Brom.

Pompey will be strengthening their central striking options during the summer, following Kusini Yengi’s exit and loanee Mark O’Mahony’s return to parent club Brighton.

Waddingham, though, should see pre-season as a great opportunity to prove he’s more than capable of providing the main competition for Colby Bishop and moving up Mousinho’s pecking order.

Harvey Blair

Like Kamara, Blair’s first-team involvement last season was minimal following his move from Liverpool last summer.

With 12 appearances to his name, the 20-year-old found himself watching on from the stands more on a match day than being part of Mousinho’s plans.

Unlike his Fratton Park team-mate, though, there’s reasons to be more optimistic - like his involvement from the start against Sheffield Wednesday and Hull at the end of the campaign.

There’s also been clear signs of what Blair can offer, which puts doubts on Matt Ritchie’s regular inclusion in the starting XI.

However, the winger needs to show that he’s ready to kick on a year after his arrival and report back mentally and physically prepared for the battle ahead.

Paddy Lane

The League One title winner’s season was cut short by injury in January. But up until that midweek trip to Blackburn, the Northern Ireland international had struggled to show he was capable of adapting to the demands of the Championship on a consistent basis.

If anyone can turn opinions around it’s Lane, who was such an important player in the Blues’ title-winning season.

But he’ll need to act fast, with Pompey certain to bring in attacking reinforcements this summer that will hopefully help them build on last season’s 16th-place finish.

Jordan Williams

The former Barnsley man can consider himself to be the Blues’ first-choice right-back, when fit, However, staying fully fit seemed to be an issue last season.

Indeed, Williams featured just 20 times in the league in 2024-26, with an equal number of games sat out through unavailability.

Pompey do have plenty of competition at right-back in Zak Swanson and Terry Devlin. That will give the defender plenty of reasons to be motivated for Pompey’s return.

But so too should the need to put his injuries behind him and get regular game time under his belt.

Christian Saydee/Ryley Towler/Tom McIntyre

It’s hard seeing any of the above three remaining at Fratton Park next season.

Pompey are open to offers for all three - and it will take something extraordinary to happen for that to change.

For your next Pompey read: What Sky Sports pundit said about West Brom midfielder who is open to Portsmouth homecoming