‘You have to raise the bar’: Why brutal Portsmouth calls have to be made ahead of huge summer transfer window

Pompey have some brutal decisions to make as the club make preparations for next season’ in the Championship.

That’s the verdict of The News’ Blues reporter Jordan Cross, who believes a number of contracted players could depart Fratton Park this summer.

It comes a week after the head coach revealed he would have to be ruthless as he prepares to build a squad capable of progressing in the second tier.

Although Pompey are yet to announce their retained list regarding out-of-contract members of the squad, difficult conversations will also have to take place with the fringe players who are contracted into next term.

Among those are Ryley Towler, Christian Saydee, Abdoulaye Kamara and Paddy Lane, who have found game time hard to come by this campaign.

Seaking on the latest episode of Pompey Talk, Cross said there could be some hard goodbyes to some much-loved fan favourites as the Blues bid to improve on their 16th-placed finish next season.

Brutal Pompey calls have to be made ahead of a huge summer window for Blues

Cross said: ‘You’re then looking at what do you do with Saydee? He offers something different and it would be sad for him to go, but as the squad evolves you have to raise the bar and have to look to improve things.

‘Does he fall into that category of someone that you say: ”thank you you’ve been a part of the past, but moving forward...”, which Pompey have done ruthlessly in the past, where does he fit in?

‘There’s a number of players in that category, where they’ve not really kind of played significant parts now - even though they’re contracted. There could be one or two like him that might well be told that if an opportunity comes up for you elsewhere, you might move on. In which case, that puts focus on being replaced.’

‘It’s been explicitly stated by Mousinho. Of course he wouldn’t name names when we spoke to him about the retained list last week.

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‘Obviously, you’ve got the out-of-contract players, which is more clean cut because of Pompey’s control over that, he said there would be a couple of conversations with those types of players.

‘They’ve given the players those contracts so it’s within their gift to sit tight as Ryley Towler has done, even though it’s been clear he’s out of favour. He was keen to stay and fight for his place.

‘There will be some of those conversations and Towler would be one; Saydee could be under consideration to be one of them; Abdoulaye Kamara has not featured so naturally would be one,;Paddy Lane stepped up to the Championship - he would be disappointed but he’s got an argument to stay. There’s a number of those types of players who are contenders for that.

‘Tom McIntyre would also be on his way if there was an opportunity to do so. They’re the obvious people. If you look at the squad, any fan can do that and say the same they’ve not featured frequently so if you want to improve the squad.

‘That’s not to say these players can’t turn it around at all because they can do, they can sit tight and work their way in. Mousinho has said exactly that. Those conversations have taken place now, they were finished by Monday, so there would’ve been conversations to that extent with a couple of those players.’

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