What Portsmouth cannot afford a repeat of when it comes to Brentford target Ronan Curtis

It's, therefore, hardly a revelation that the Pompey winger is on clubs’ radar given his achievements since his Football League arrival two years ago.

As revealed by The News, promotion-chasing Brentford have been monitoring Curtis as a potential replacement for Said Benrahma.

Meanwhile, both Blackburn and Reading were keen during the January transfer window – opportunities the Irishman has since revealed he turned down.

Having established himself as a leading League One winger, scoring 26 goals since moving from Derry City in 2017, such links are natural.

Pompey have their prized asset well protected, with Curtis signing a three-year deal just four months ago to keep him at Fratton Park until 2023.

But should a reasonable bid land on Kenny Jackett’s table, then the Blues will have to weigh up the pros and cons of selling the Republic of Ireland international.

In a Covid-19 impacted transfer window, selling valuable commodities is one way clubs can look to raise much-needed funds.

The money from such a scenario, just like Crystal Palace’s interest in Alex Bass, would undoubtedly give Pompey more power in a market place with cash flow problems.

It would hand the Blues a significant advantage over their rivals to go out and recruit sufficiently to mount an automatic promotion challenge next term.

The major squad overhaul identified by chief sports writer Neil Allen could all of a sudden be bankrolled.

Yet the question is: would Curtis be sufficiently replaced?

As we all know, Players moving to clubs further up the pyramid is part and parcel of football.

But for Pompey the difficulty would be finding a sufficient alternative who us capable of similar exploits.

Unearthing someone capable of netting 14 goals and 12 assists – Curtis’ stats this term – from a wide-left position could prove difficult.

While Marcus Harness and Ryan Williams both enjoyed decent maiden seasons at Pompey and should improve next term, they failed to replicate the right-flank feats of 17-goal Jamal Lowe before he left for Wigan a year ago.

And with the sale of Matt Clarke to Brighton also being taken into consideration, there's a case to be made that the Blues' didn't progress as they should have with the money they had at their disposal.

Despite recruiting John Marquis, Ellis Harrison and Harness for sizeable fees and having a deeper squad overall, the starting XI never looked as strong as it did in 2018-19.

But if Pompey did resist the advances of others for Curtis’ services – another problem then automatically rises to the surface.

Indeed, would Curtis be prepared for another tilt in League One?

His achievements suggest he’s ready for the next level and he'd be quite entitled to want that at this stage of his career.

Jackett stated previously that there's no point in keeping players if they don't want to be at the club.

‘Players move on and when they’re unhappy it’s hard to keep them,’ the Pompey boss said in December.

‘You can keep them but it’s very hard to get anything out of them.’

With promotion paramount next term, the Blues can ill-afford another costly, stuttering start.

By Jackett's own admission, the uncertainty over Lowe's future affected Pompey at the beginning of this season.

As a consequence, the Blues languished nearer the relegation zone than the play-offs for a period – a key reason why they’re now preparing for a fourth season at this level.

One thing does look clear, though.

No matter what happens with Curtis, another protracted transfer saga cannot ensue.