Released Portsmouth player who 'did brilliant job' for Blues linked with free-transfer move to Reading and Colchester

Interest in Cohen Bramall has emerged following news that he will leave Pompey at the end of his Fratton Park contract.

The defender will depart the Blues as a free agent next month, following the club’s decision not to extend the short-term deal he penned with the PO4 club in January.

That agreement, signed after Pompey agreed an undisclosed fee for the left-back with League One Rotherham, allowed Bramall to feature 12 times for John Mousinho’s side as they retained their Championship status for another season.

Yet he’s one of five out-of-contract players - including Alexander Milosevic, Kusini Yengi, Anthony Scully and Tom Lowery - who have been told there’s no new terms on the table for them, allowing the 29-year-old to explore possible moves elsewhere.

That decision came as a surprise to some, given Mousinho’s use of the player over the second half of the season. However, it appears the former Arsenal youth-team player won’t be short of offers over the summer.

Interest emerges in released Portsmouth defender- report

According to The Deck, several clubs in League One and League Two have already made enquiries with the player’s representatives about a potential move during the close season.

This includes third-tier Reading, who are looking to assemble a promotion-winning squad following their takeover by former Wycombe owner Rob Couhig this week.

Meanwhile, Bramall’s former club, Colchester United, are also reportedly keen, with ex-Pompey boss Danny Cowley keen to build on this season’s 10th-placed finish.

On paper, a move to the bottom tier of English football would seem unlikely for a player who performed to a good level for the Blues in the Championship. Yet exciting times could be just around the corner for the U’s, as they, too, are in the process of being taken over. Indeed, chairman Robbie Cowling in advanced talks to sell the club to US consortium Lightwell Sports Group.

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Defender could still have Pompey future

The early indications are that Bramall will not be short of admirers during the forthcoming transfer window.

Meanwhile, Mousinho has left the door open for a potential Fratton Park return.

Speaking to The News this week, the Pompey head coach said: ‘We haven’t said to Cohen there’s absolutely nothing here in the summer, but we are really happy with the two contracted left-backs (Connor Ogilvie and Jacob Farrell) we’ve got.

‘We’ll see how the transfer window plays out because we see Cohen as having a bit of versatility in different positions as well, but certainly he came in and did a brilliant job for us. He’s put himself right in the shop window to pick up, in my opinion, another Championship football club.

‘Under any other circumstances we would have been looking to offer Cohen something, but Jacob has been out pretty much all season and we paid money for a young lad to come over from Australia and have high hopes for him.

‘It's tough to have three left-backs right now. If it’s something which opens up at the back end of the summer then maybe, but it’s difficult right now when we’re looking to free up spaces and free up funds for summer recruitment.’

For your next Pompey read: Why former Portsmouth keeper and on-loan Fratton Park defender weren't spotted in epic Charlton v Wycombe play-off decider