Portsmouth transfer rumour rated - 9/10: why Blues must compete for Bradford and Burton for former Oxford forward Dan Agyei

This week alone, various outlets have linked Pompey with Notts County winger Aaron Nemane and Crewe attacker Dan Agyei. Meanwhile, The News understands that goalkeeper Will Norris is under consideration by the Blues following his release by Burnley and strong showings while on loan for Peterborough over the second half of last season.

When it comes to reports from elsewhere, there’s always a need to take the information on offer with a pinch of salt until it has been corroborated at least.

Attempts to do so with the Agyei rumour continues – a link that initially emerged from the Sunday Mirror’s Darren Witcoop on Tuesday evening. But in this instance, there’s grounds to the speculation. You can understand why Pompey could be ‘considering’ the free agent, who has been offered fresh terms by the Alexandra Stadium outfit.

The fact that the 26-year-old is a former Oxford team-mate of Blues head coach John Mousinho is a good starting point. They played together at the Kassam Stadium for two-and-a-half seasons. They will know each other well. And Mousinho will know Agyei’s strengths and weaknesses, with the former AFC Wimbledon youngster showing plenty of potential as the U’s consistently battled for promotion under Karl Robinson.

Agyei was eventually sold to the Railwaymen in January 2022 with 11 goals from 93 games as he ultimately struggled to nail down a regular spot in the Oxford team. No doubt, many will view that as a reason not to entertain a move for the left-footed forward. However, his record since then speaks for itself – even if it is at League Two level.

Meanwhile, you don’t have to look far from home to see how the likes of Conor Chaplin, Jack Whatmough, Kal Naismith and Tommy Leigh – who has also been linked with the Blues this summer – are faring after being told they had no future at Fratton Park.

Since joining Crewe, Agyei has registered 17 goals and 5 assists over 60 appearances. They’re not bad figures when you consider the Railwaymen’s recent struggles during his time at the club. They also look a lot more favourable when you see his stats for last season in isolation – 46 league appearances, 16 goals and five assists.

Last term, only Colby Bishop (20) scored more for Pompey in the league. Furthermore, the former Burnley man’s assists equal that of Bishop, Joe Morrell and Owen Dale, who also finished on five for the season.

Of course, the difference in levels must be taken into consideration. Yet Agyei boasts personal attributes that will make him an attractive proposition.

At six-foot tall and weighing in at 77kg (according to Wyscout), the player would bolster the Blues’ physical presence up front. Meanwhile, he has pace to burn also.

Coming off a 52-game season last term gives the impression that Agyei’s robust enough to deal with the physicality of the EFL week in, week out. He played 4,438 minutes of football in League Two alone last term. A left-footer, who is comfortable across the front line is also hugely advantageous. Mousinho likes to operate with inverted wingers at times, while there’s a lack of left-footed players in the current ranks.

Agyei’s ability to run with the ball and take on defenders would also have the fans on their feet, with fast, attacking football on the front-foot promised when Mousinho took charge in January. He was ranked top in League Two for one-v-ones last season and enjoyed a 63.04-per-cent success rate when going head-to-head with opposition defenders. The forward was also ranked fifth in the division when it came to progressive runs (121 in total).

He also got 114 crosses into the box, which is more than what Dale produced last season (104). It’s also more than Joe Rafferty (106), who was the Blues’ top performer in this category in 2022-23, which means the service into Bishop would likely increase.

Agyei is also a cool customer when it comes to taking penalties as well, with six converted from the spot last term.

Such attributes would clearly be of benefit to Pompey. And there’s every reason to believe the former Oxford forward has his best years still ahead of him.

That, along with the fact that Agyei is a free agent and someone unlikely to command huge wages, will also tick boxes as far as the Blues are concerned as they carefully consider their options ahead of a busy summer of transfer activity.

With that in mind, a move – if this rumour is proven correct – appears a no-brainer.

Rumour rating: 9/10.