Portsmouth chief Rich Hughes' transfer admission over Luton Town's Milli Alli
The loanee made 21 appearances and scored once during his time ay Fratton Park
There will be no Fratton Park return for Milli Alli as Pompey focus elsewhere in the transfer window.
While on loan from Luton last season, the winger made a superb start to life on the south coast, thriving on the left flank in the ongoing injury absence of Josh Murphy.
He was largely a regular in the second half of the campaign as John Mousinho's men rallied to secure Championship survival with two matches to spare, with the former Exeter man totalling 21 appearances and one goal.
However, according to Rich Hughes, the Blues are not seeking to sign Alli on a permanent basis from his League One club.
Instead they will look to fit-again pair Murphy and Keshi Anderson as their options on the left wing in the forthcoming season.
‘It’s not one we are actively looking to pursue’
Pompey’s sporting director told The News: ‘Milli isn’t a player we are pursuing at the minute.
‘We've actually had a couple of calls from other teams about him and have been giving positive references - but it’s not one we are actively looking to pursue.
‘He helped us last year, but obviously we’ve got Murph coming back, we’ve got Keshi returning to fitness, two really established Championship players as left wingers, which we see as Milli’s natural position.
‘So it’s not one we will be actively chasing at the moment.’
Instant hit at Fratton Park
Alli was Pompey’s first signing of the January transfer window and proved to be an instant hit after being thrown into the starting XI at Sheffield Wednesday.
He was involved in Adrian Segecic’s second-half winner at Hillsborough, while scored in a huge 3-0 win over West Brom in his fourth outing for the club.
Indeed, such was the extent of his impact, many were calling for the move to be made permanent at the season’s end, with Hughes telling The News in February that ‘we’d be really keen to keep him here’.
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There was even a maiden call-up for the Republic of Ireland in March, with Alli subsequently making his debut in a friendly against Grenada after the season had finished.
Dip in form
However, the direct winger’s performances noticeably dipped as his loan spell wore on, with a sympathetic Mousinho believing it to be a consequence of the physical demands Pompey were putting on the 26-year-old.
Regardless, with Anderson and Murphy’s availability continuing to be hampered by injury, Alli remained a regular starter.
The final game of the season against Birmingham would also represent his last Pompey appearance, with Alli once again named on the left wing.
He was replaced by Thomas Waddingham in the 71st minute as the match finished 1-1 to secure Mousinho’s men an 18th-placed finish in the Championship after another testing season.
And while Alli undoubtedly played an important role in the Blues’ successful fight against relegation, there will be no Fratton Park return for the Luton man.
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