The strong verdict on Portsmouth future for Birmingham, West Brom & Huddersfield-linked midfielder as contract discussions continue

That’s the verdict of Pompey writer Jordan Cross, who believes the challenge for the Blues is to find common ground financially to keep the talented midfielder – while not paying over the odds.

After a breakthrough season at PO4 this term, the 22-year-old is out-of-contract in the summer.

His impressive start to the campaign saw him linked with Championship trio Huddersfield, West Brom & Birmingham.

Despite Mingi recently revealing talks were under way over fresh terms, uncertainty over his long-term future has begun to creep in. Cross is adamant Pompey shouldn’t push their budget in order to keep him at Fratton Park.

He said on the latest Pompey Q&A: ‘I don’t think they should break the bank to keep him.

‘When they signed Jay, he would’ve been one of the lowest earners. He’s 22-years-old and a couple of years down the line now and when he came in would’ve been a cheap addition. Of course, his profile has improved in that time but I wouldn’t say it’s gone into the stratosphere.

‘I’m not sure about the talk of Huddersfield, Birmingham and West Brom. I’m not sure how strong that interest is. I do wonder how agent driven those names are and if Jay was to go to those clubs, I wouldn’t see him getting near the first-team regularly at the moment.

‘He’s got great potential. We saw that when he went on a run on the back end of last year and what he could do. As a number eight, he can be a force of nature – and John Mousinho is certainly looking for a couple of number eights this summer.

‘He needs to stay fit and he needs to find a level of consistency. That’s what Mousinho’s challenge to Mingi is.Caveat that with the fact I know Jay, I got to know him over the summer when we were on pre-season, and he’s a very good lad, very humble and determined to do well. There’s a lot to like about him off the pitch as much as there is on the pitch.

‘I do see someone with the raw assets to really become a player. You only have to see that on social media when he was signing in 2021, there were a lot of big names including Jason Pearce saying this lad has got potential. These people know what they’re talking about and Mingi could be a big player.

‘He will want an improvement in terms of wages, but it’s just finding the common ground on where that is. Pompey don’t hold all the cards with him like they do with most other players. There’s no option there so they maybe aren’t as relaxed about Jay as some of the others – but he hasn’t quite kicked on like some of the others in the second half of the season.

‘It’s where things stand. Jay has said he wants to stay so lets see how that plays out because otherwise it’ll be a couple of years of training compensation for Pompey, which doesn’t equate to a huge amount and he then moves on. By their own admission, Pompey want to keep their young assets and develop them.’