Further proof that Matt Ritchie’s Portsmouth days are numbered as former Newcastle United man closes in on exit

Any Pompey fan hoping for a Matt Ritchie/Pompey change of heart prepare to be disappointed.

Nine days after The News revealed the 35-year-old was poised to leave Fratton Park after just one season, the former Newcastle man’s departure has taken another significant step forward.

On the same day as the Blues announced their new kit for their 2025-26 Championship campaign, they also publicised their current squad numbers of the season ahead.

And, yes, you’ve guessed it, the forward’s name has been omitted.

The Blues academy graduate donned the No30 jersey during his first season back at PO4 - a term that saw Ritchie score five goals and register one assist from 39 league outings.

That shirt number, however, has now been adopted by back-up keeper Ben Killip, with Ritchie’s name no-where to been seen in the list put out by the Blues on Friday morning.

Matt Ritchie not alone as Pompey announce squad numbers

Ritchie, who didn’t travel with Pompey for their recent pre-season training camp in Slovakia, isn’t alone when it comes to not being allocated a shirt number of next season. There are two other notable absentees as well.

Indeed, after being told he was free to find a new club after less than a year at Fratton Park, midfielderAbdoulaye Kamara has no presence on the updated list.

And the same applies to central defender Tom McIntyre, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Charlton.

Unlike Ritchie and Kamara, the former Reading defender travelled with the rest of the Blues set-up to Bratislava as preparations began in earnest for Pompey’s opening game of the season against Oxford United on August 9.

Yet, he wasn’t involved in either of this week’s pre-season games against Woking or Farnborough after also being told he was free to find new employers.

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Why Matt Ritchie’s Pompey stay is coming to an end and what’s been said

Ritchie’s impending exit centres on his ongoing desire to play regular first-team football, with head coach John Mousinho unable to guarantee a player who turns 36 in September a regular starting role next term.

The Blues boss told The News during their pre-season camp in Slovakia: ‘We had a conversation at the back end of last year and again a couple of weeks ago about Matt’s role this season and the potential for playing time. We basically ended up shaking hands and saying Matt is free to find other opportunities if available to him.

‘There's a real desire in Matt to still play and to still feature every single week in the Championship - and he was absolutely terrific for us last year in terms of everything we did to get us into the position we are in now.

‘But Matt’s expectation versus mine or versus ours as a club didn’t necessarily match up. We wanted to make sure we ended on a high and with that relationship intact, so Matt can go and explore pastures new.

‘Matt probably expected more playing time than last season. Matt is someone who is incredibly fit, incredibly ambitious, he started 28 games last season. I am pretty sure if you gave him the option, he will be ready to start 46 games the season after.

‘There’s definitely a hunger and desire there, even at Matt’s age, to play as many games as possible and we completely respect that.

‘There was no disagreement, we ended up speaking very amicably about it and that’s the best way. What we wanted to avoid is having any disagreement further down the line when games started.’

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