Mark McMahon is joined by Jordan Cross to discuss the Pompey transfer rumours that have been doing the rounds this summer.
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00:00 Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Pompey Talk. My name is Mark McMahon and joining
00:06 me today to discuss all the latest goings on at Pompey and more specifically all the
00:10 rumours around Pompey is Jordan Cross. Jordan welcome.
00:15 Hi Mark.
00:16 It's been quiet so far hasn't it? Still waiting on that transfer window to open.
00:21 Yeah no surprise there. As we've stated the policy of not announcing deals until after
00:28 June 14th. We're just over a week off from that aren't we now? So just a note of caution
00:38 for Pompey fans. Last year there were deals done in League One and it was that much easier
00:46 for Pompey to get those deals done. I think there's been obviously as I've written many
00:50 times a raising of the bar for targets and Pompey are in with bigger fish now in the
00:55 Championship. So I wouldn't necessarily anticipate the swathe of deals which were done and the
01:01 contract was put in a drawer somewhere and then after the window opened they kind of
01:05 willed these transfers out one every day or two wasn't it? And it was really generating
01:10 excitement up until July 1st. I think 9 of the 14, Yengy being 10 on July 2nd and then
01:19 it was just the three loans and Regan Paul which came after. So as much as they're very
01:24 diligently working the new recruitment team I wouldn't necessarily expect that massive
01:30 flux of signs that we saw a year ago. That said plenty of names around, some with credence
01:36 some less so I'm sure we're going to work through them.
01:39 So yeah basically today what we're going to do is look at some of the transfer rumours
01:43 that have been doing the rounds since Pompey won the League One title. There's been quite
01:48 a few. Some of them are legitimate, ones that we have come up with, ones that we have established
01:53 ourselves and done our due diligence on and all. But others yeah have cropped up on certain
02:01 sites across the internet. Obviously we don't touch certain ones that are made up Twitter
02:07 accounts or people with 20 followers or anything like that. We will sort of do a transfer gossipy
02:14 story on the ones that have come from legitimate people.
02:17 Well I'm not denying that because we say I said it a year ago to put some of this right
02:22 and people understood it. Well a year or two I've said it every year but I haven't said
02:26 it yet. As you say there if these stories emerge transfer gossip that's how they headline.
02:31 We then do our own work and then we've got our contacts. We back our contacts and then
02:35 if there's any credence then we follow that up ourselves. So we have a duty to put these
02:40 stories out but we always say that they are transfer gossip and then we do our own work
02:44 and then sort out the wheat from the chaff.
02:48 Yeah okay well let's get started. The first one I'm going to mention is I think it's somebody
02:54 Jordie you mentioned initially. It's come from you but Bussam Lowell the Fleetwood midfielder
03:00 stroke centre half who's been on loan from Celtic. What's your take on that one?
03:08 So Bussam Lowell he was someone that played against Pompey for Fleetwood and really caught
03:15 the eye. I know obviously Pompey aren't just going on the games against them but I think
03:19 that's where it really kind of flashed up. He started as a defender playing against Pompey
03:23 as a defender in December off the top of my head and then we played Fleetwood very quickly
03:26 and he was converted to a midfielder. I know he's comfortable in both positions but he's
03:30 really kind of shone in that midfield position for Fleetwood over the second half of the
03:34 season to the point where I said he was one that Pompey were looking at and had been looking
03:40 at potentially pursuing probably for another loan to accompaniment contract situation. But
03:46 that one was one that as we worked out a bit more about it and got some more information
03:52 on that it was more a possibility of Pompey remaining in League One. They would have really
03:57 looked to advance Bussam Lowell as it is stepping up to the Championship. I think there's some
04:01 reservations about whether he's quite Championship ready yet. So yeah one they looked at, one that
04:06 Macin is an admirer of. The fact that Pompey has now secured promotion probably thinks
04:11 that that may not quite happen. Right okay then. Jamal Lowe, we all know Jamal Lowe.
04:19 There's been a bit of speculation Pompey might be interested in him. He's been released from
04:24 Bournemouth. Many fans would love to see him down at Framton Park but what's the likelihood
04:29 of that there? Yeah I mean we'd all love him wouldn't we? What a great character and his
04:33 affinity for golf. Good comment piece from Neil Allen today on the subject and really all the
04:40 different elements to that. Yes I mean picking up the fact he's been released, does it happen?
04:45 A bit of a party people, pretty much not a chance I'd say. He's going to be on a Premier League
04:52 contract. I could speculate at the figure that that would be but you know it's going to be many
04:57 tens of thousands of pounds. Now Pompey are stepping up. They're going to have to put their
05:01 budget up probably more than once or twice. I mean two or three fold I mean in terms of where they
05:09 are to where they're going to need to be. Does that put them in the realms of paying the kind
05:13 of tens and tens of thousands for players like Jamal Lowe? Let's be realistic I don't think
05:19 that's quite there yet. I mean that would really rip into the playing budget. And I think what's
05:28 Jamal? 29 now maybe, maybe 30 even. Again if you're going to be spending the big bucks on
05:35 salaries and fees you really want to return on investment down the line on that. Is that an
05:41 asset that's going to grow with Jamal Lowe? Possibly not. It would be great to have, we'd
05:45 all love it. I just realistically don't see that happening. Right okay just on the subject of
05:52 what Pompey are going to be up against in the Championship. Is it fair to say that players
05:58 that they're going to be wanting to bring in are going to be on big money? More money than what
06:02 Pompey were short of offering this time last year? Yeah, yeah it stands to reason doesn't it? I mean
06:09 they're stepping up, they're moving into a bigger market and they're going to be looking at players
06:14 that they can, championship ready so to speak. And yeah I mean to do that okay you can go and get the
06:23 young emerging players still but it's going to come at a premium to get the ones that are going
06:29 to make a difference now. I've spoken about it at length, the fact that we've raised the bar,
06:33 the likes of Dembele being an example, there's ones that might come onto Pompey's radar,
06:37 we'll talk about that in a minute. But if these players then get a move like in his case,
06:41 even on a low in the contribution to wages it's going to be quite significant.
06:46 In answer to your question, yes I mean the budget's going to double or triple,
06:51 but for a reason Pompey needs to spend bigger money on wages. Okay well you mentioned Caramundi
06:57 Dembele, was on loan at Blackpool last season from Ligoune, from Brest or whatever.
07:04 Anyway, good player, I've seen plenty of him. Big fan of Brest, big fan of Brest.
07:10 Yeah, Jordan. Just a real fan, I love their football.
07:21 Yes, a very good player, but a player who is going to attract a lot of interest this summer.
07:26 Yeah, exactly that. I'm going to write a story on the next couple of hours to that extent.
07:34 When I wrote about Dembele maybe four or five weeks ago, it was an example again of just
07:43 repeating that he's a player that's gone out on a Ligue 1 loan, really excelled and then his next
07:48 loan if it was to be one would probably be the Championships. You'd expect them to come on to
07:52 Pompey's radar. In Dembele's case however, there are a number of Premier League clubs which would
07:58 possibly loan him out again if he moved there permanently. But there's just, like from what I
08:04 hear, Sheffield Wednesday being one of the latest, just the volume of clubs that are after him and
08:11 probably going to be, from what you hear, kind of like the established top end Championship clubs.
08:17 It might just be a bit too tough for Pompey to get something in the can with Dembele. They never
08:22 really were, as I say, really pursuing that one with any vigour. It was just an example of one
08:27 that has come out in conversation that could be an example of what Pompey are trying to do with
08:34 maybe loans moving forward. So, yeah, I wouldn't be too disheartened about that because hopefully
08:40 there are others out there like Dembele. Okay, well, just in case you're wondering,
08:46 I've got work to do outside my front window here. About to start digging up the road,
08:49 so I'm going to start moving here. But as I do, Jordy, let's go to Gisrun Raksaki,
08:56 the Crystal Palace winger who made such a big impression at Charton two seasons ago,
09:00 but has been fighting game time hard to come back to. Yeah, I'll give you a one-word answer,
09:06 so I'll throw it back to you while you're walking, Mark. Let me get a free look around Mark's house,
09:13 this is fantastic. Raksaki, yes, a player that Sean in league one with Charton, a player that
09:23 has admirers within the Pompey set-up and a player that they would love to bring in if they could.
09:31 The first issue, I know there was this sentiment from within Pompey, even though there was a lot
09:40 of noise about him not getting into and around the set-up at Palace. What happens with their big
09:47 players, the likes of Alisse and Eze this summer, if they move on, does that then move them up the
09:53 pecking order? That was a concern about that. Again, the cost to make a deal happen would be
10:00 a factor, maybe the amount of clubs that would be looking at Raksaki would be a fantastic sign,
10:05 wouldn't it? But these are the players that are kind of being talked about now,
10:08 and I find it very encouraging. The sentiment I got on that would be this kind of a number
10:15 of moving parts. As we know with Premier League, with loans in general, in fact, clubs will assess
10:20 their squads. In the Premier League, these often go on these games in far-flung places where they
10:25 use their fringe players. So, any deal for a player of the nature of Raksaki would be one
10:30 that would be a loan and by that, in fact, would happen later on in the window. Maybe one that
10:35 could become live later on. That would be Pompey's hope and that's my take on it.
10:40 Okay, now, let's see, who's next? Let's go for Alex Robertson. We all know what Alex Robertson
10:47 can do. He spent, well, half a season on loan at Pompey. Became an absolute fan's favourite.
10:53 People would love to see him back, but from what we gather, he's staying at Man City. He's got
10:58 another year left in his contract at Man City. If Pompey were to lure him back, one, they've got
11:03 the chance of football, I suppose, but one, it would have to be probably a loan or what? A million
11:09 pound at least, wouldn't it? Probably even, and the rest probably. I was kind of way off with my
11:16 initial analysis of how much he would generate and that was a year ago. But then, obviously,
11:23 I saw how well he's shown for Pompey. I think you're talking, even now, multi-million pounds
11:29 with a year left on his contract if they were to sell Man City. So, I think it's all out there
11:35 really with Alex Robertson. Again, he's spoken to us and he's waiting to see what Man City's
11:42 plans are for him. Do they intend to sell? They've obviously got their own model when it comes to
11:47 developing and selling players, a little bit like Chelsea, and it's a business. So, do they sell
11:55 with 12 months left on his contract or do they get him to sign another contract and get him out on a
12:01 championship loan? Because he is a perfect example of a player that had a League One loan, thrived,
12:07 and there'd be a number of takers for him on a loan at championship level. If that was to happen,
12:11 you would hope and be confident that Pompey would have good bargaining power because I think there's
12:16 a willingness and happiness that he would come back here from Alex Robertson's part and from
12:22 the club's part. They've got the development on the player, they've got the progression,
12:25 they've got his next loan in the championship. So, if he was to sign a new deal at Manchester City,
12:32 I'd be quietly hopeful that he would be coming back to Pompey on another loan. Yeah, just a case
12:37 of wait and see to see if they do indeed look to move him on permanently and cash in and make a
12:43 few million along the way. Okay. This one I definitely know has come from you. I'm not
12:48 going to ask you your source or anything yet there, but do you have a good authority? Anthony
12:53 Evans, Bristol Rovers. Yeah, that was one I wrote a few weeks ago. As I say, I've got to kind of
13:01 tread a little bit delicately on this one, given as I was the person that reported it. But the
13:07 indications from, shall we say, sources closer to Anthony Evans than the club, there was interest
13:14 from Pompey's part. So, that was enough for me to run something on that. Pompey, and we've got
13:22 good contacts at Pompey, have perhaps suggested that that was not one that's particularly high
13:27 up their list. I've got no reason to doubt the people we speak to at Pompey. We've got good
13:34 contacts. They've been consistent with us. So, yeah, it's a bit of a perplexing one, that,
13:41 because for it to be noise from Evans' end, that Pompey affirmed looking at him and it to be
13:50 conflicted is an interesting sort of way of it unfolding, shall we say. So, yeah, that's kind of
14:00 the narrative on that one. And yeah, on the basis that you've got kind of quite different information
14:08 from two sides, it might be a case of just waiting and seeing on that. Okay, then. We've spoken about
14:14 Alex Robertson. What about another player who was unknown at Pompey last season, Tino Anderen?
14:19 Joe Massino's been quite glowing about him. From what he said after the season finished,
14:26 you got the impression that there might be legs in him coming back next season, the fun part?
14:30 Yeah, yeah, exactly that. I didn't think that would be the case, maybe looking, I mean,
14:38 even up until a couple of weeks before the end of the season. Tino had a really good
14:43 ending. I think Pompey fans were quite confused with what they saw from him. And they could see
14:47 why there was all the noise about him, even amidst all the injury problems. So, he can play
14:54 in the Championship. He can make an impact in the Championship. He's shown that the doubt about him
14:59 was and why I thought that the deal would not be probably advanced. And of course, the injury
15:06 record and paying his wages. But from what I can ascertain, and this really does shine a different
15:10 light on it, if Pompey can construct a deal based around appearances and say they've got a financial
15:18 commitment to a player that's probably on, you know, 25k, you know, roughly around that sort of
15:23 figure of a few thousand pounds per week. It's a really good deal to be done if he's playing. And
15:30 then if he was to pick up an injury, then to kind of that contribution to drop down, if you can
15:37 structure a deal in that manner, the risk then drops significantly for Pompey and the reward of
15:42 having a flying Andrian is there still. So, then that becomes a really viable deal for Portsmouth
15:47 and one that really makes sense from all sides. So, I think that return for Andrian on that basis
15:55 could definitely be on the cards. Would money be an issue with Andrian, like if he's been
16:00 Premier League? I'm not saying he's on big Premier League wages, like, but he's clearly...
16:04 Yeah, he is.
16:05 Yeah. Is that something that's coming to play?
16:08 Yeah, but not really because it's like Chelsea, Man City are two good examples of players that
16:15 have got this model of developing players and then selling them on. But I think City's kind of...
16:20 Chelsea throw a lot more money at a young age at players than they have done historically.
16:24 And he was kind of one of their shining lights coming through. He got, you know, that Premier
16:28 League sort of appearance at, what was it, 18. So, he got a good contract off the back of that.
16:32 Man City don't kind of throw such the big figures. I wouldn't have thought, you know,
16:37 Alex Robertson would probably be on a few thousand pounds as opposed to 25 in those kind of regions.
16:44 So, no, it doesn't because the wages don't come into it. If it's structured in a way where
16:48 they pay a few thousand pounds a week, he gets the profile of what Robertson does and hopefully
16:55 they can keep him fit and they can protect and develop their asset and hopefully sell him from
17:00 Chelsea's point of view. Hopefully get a good player. And then with a cleverly structured deal
17:05 for a player that's got a long list of injury issues, they haven't got necessarily to worry
17:09 that they're going to be hampered with selling out that money in the event if he does pick up
17:14 another injury. So, it kind of works for everyone. Yeah. Anger was one of those ones last season
17:19 where we sort of got wind of that there simply through some Pompey fans at the Pompey Centre
17:25 taking pictures off him being shown around the training ground. We've had no examples of that
17:29 so far this season. So, we're waiting for people to help us out if they want to.
17:34 Yeah, that's a good point actually, wasn't it? Yeah, Miguel Aziz being another one, wasn't it?
17:38 And the idea and the benefits of having access to the Pompey gym, isn't it? I don't know if that
17:45 lasts forever there but all the time the public at the club are making money on their ventures
17:52 and I guess that's going to happen. So, yeah, I wouldn't be too concerned but I don't think
17:57 there's been too many shown around this training ground just yet. No, not yet. I'm going to put
18:01 three in a bracket here. Let's go. Mark Leonard, Craig Michael and Rhys Cole.
18:08 Michael Craig, is it? Yeah, yeah.
18:11 Yeah, yeah, yeah, that one. Yeah, so okay. So, Mark Leonard, okay. Mark Leonard, no.
18:15 I've written that. He's one that's kind of a keep resurfacing. I see he was linked with
18:22 Birmingham. I think he would have been one in League One that they might have looked at.
18:32 Don't think he's quite ready to step up for the Championships with all that one out.
18:36 Michael Craig, yeah, don't know too much about that one. The defensive midfielder,
18:39 Scottish guy, isn't it? From Raleigh. Yeah, but I don't think there's anything in that.
18:44 I've made great advance on that but that's the kind of noises on that one. Who was the other one?
18:51 Rhys Cole, actually.
18:52 Yeah, no go Rhys Cole. Linked maybe four, maybe six weeks ago now, wasn't it?
19:01 Maybe a month or two ago. But Pompey banded in. Yeah, promising lad. Brentford up, then down to
19:07 Exeter but not one for Pompey. Okay, now one that we definitely know Pompey were interested in,
19:13 certainly in January, and there's speculation that they may revisit it this year, is Jane Raymond,
19:19 the Crystal Palace youngster. Is that still the legs of it?
19:22 Yep, yep, definitely. Let me get it right. Was it in January? I've got a feeling. Was it like
19:29 the Tesco Express? Someone spotted him in the Tesco Express. I've never quite worked out whether
19:35 that... I remember seeing that rumour. It probably is true actually, isn't it? But yes, when they
19:44 looked at it in January, they were trying to do a deal in January of Palace. I think just
19:48 the structure of the deal with Ceylon and various clauses just turned Pompey off maybe a little bit,
19:57 I think, in January. But it's definitely one they're looking to revisit. I've heard comparisons
20:05 with Babu Kamara, with Jane and Raymond, that kind of structure physically, and things like
20:14 that kind of stage of his career. But that would be the home. So definitely looking at one to
20:19 bring in and maybe not one for the immediacy, but one to look at. Definitely that's one that's 100%
20:29 correct. Have the builders come into your building for now, where they are?
20:34 No word, they aren't. It's just noise, constant noise right here. Hopefully it's not too loud
20:39 during, but yeah, unfortunately they're digging up the land.
20:41 It's all I can get out of it.
20:43 So, well you mentioned Babu Kamara. Let's go straight to him then. Again, another player,
20:48 Pompey fans would love. He absolutely tore it up, didn't he, at Farnborough, especially with
20:52 the second half of the season. Again, I think, even I know that that's not necessarily going
20:57 to happen, is it?
20:58 I don't think so, I'm afraid. That's why we wrote weeks ago that we were all going to be
21:05 Norwich City fans in the play-offs, weren't we? Because if they got to the Premier League,
21:09 that really becomes a lot more viable. But what are the reasons for Norwich City letting
21:15 Babu Kamara out to a Championship rival next season, when he's a player that can thrive
21:20 in the Championship himself? I just don't see a pathway to that happening. I think,
21:25 they've obviously had their management turnover and that maybe gives us the smallest sliver of
21:33 hope. But I would think, to all intents and purposes, that that deal doesn't happen.
21:39 Again, did I see Neil Diddle spoke to that guy up in the EDP?
21:43 Yeah, Neil Diddle, Norwich.
21:44 Yeah, which again, I think that probably sums it up quite nicely as well. Probably 98% says
21:51 he stays, there's 2% hope, but realistically, that's not one of them. But that happens,
21:55 unfortunately.
21:56 Okay, well here, let's give the fans something to dream about, or a wee bit of positivity.
22:02 I'm getting the impression that there's some positive vibes coming out of Pompey's interest
22:07 in George Morphett.
22:09 There we go, there we go. We're knocking all these ones down that aren't happening.
22:12 There's one that's much more reasons, many, many more reasons to be cheerful about Joss Murphy,
22:19 even amidst all that huge amount of interest in the Championship, off the back of a really
22:25 good second half to the season, obviously then getting the goals in the playoffs.
22:29 It's one of the things Pompey's been looking at for some time now. Perhaps they almost didn't
22:35 want Murphy to have the second half of the season that he did have. I think you look at his goals,
22:40 he's really thrived after Des Buckland came in. People that watched him against Pompey at
22:47 Fratton Park in the season will know why they're keen for Joss Murphy. Got the pace that Pompey
22:52 blew. Maybe not quite in the age bracket, he's late 20s now, isn't he? Maybe around 29.
23:00 But you would hope to see no factor might just pay off for Pompey in that one. The fact that
23:06 they're acquainted with each other after he moved to Oxford. An £11 million player not too long ago,
23:14 I remember putting that in the headline and people kind of struggling to figure out if Pompey was
23:19 going to pay £11 million. Not quite working out that he was an £11 million player not too long
23:24 ago. You don't pay that money unless you've got a talent and ability. He's shown that.
23:28 Pompey would hope, as I wrote at the weekend, to see no factor, but he's in their favour.
23:34 A lot of competition, but yeah, that's one we've lost.
23:38 I think a lot of people have been, opinions have been formed by his quotes after Oxford won the
23:45 play-off final saying he wants to stay at Oxford next season. He likes it there, but you're hardly
23:50 going to turn around and go, 'No, I hate it' on a day like that there, are you?
23:54 Well, that's right. Exactly right. I think on that note, yeah, I was mentioning to John Messina
24:00 about Alex Robertson saying to fans that he wanted to come back to Pompey when he was at Bolton,
24:05 and he said exactly the same. Well, along the same lines, I don't think when a fan's come up to him
24:09 in a concourse after about five or six pints at half-time at Bolton, he's going to say, 'No,
24:15 I don't want to come back to Pompey'. He does want to come back to Pompey, by the way, but
24:18 just in that situation, yeah, Murphy's obviously in the aftermath. He might well want to stop at
24:25 Oxford United in their hopes of keeping him certainly increased from getting promotion,
24:30 don't they? He wouldn't be staying there in League One, but again, probably one where
24:33 money talks, isn't it? If Pompey or anyone else are willing to pay the money that
24:40 they obviously can't get to, then Murphy, go there. I'm not saying Pompey are capable of
24:46 paying more money than Oxford in particular, I'm just saying there's a number of different clubs
24:49 that might be able to do that. Oxford have actually quite well, very well backed,
24:54 backed better than Pompey were in terms of budget in League One. So, yeah, that's going to be one to
25:00 watch and fingers crossed. Okay, I'm coming near to the end of my list. I've got three more. One,
25:07 I'm not quite sure whether you'll be able to say much about it, but I'm going to stick the name
25:11 out there. Chris Conn-Clark, striker, scored 23 goals for National League Altingham next season.
25:19 It's a name that keeps on cropping up. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Northern Ireland lad, isn't it?
25:24 Yeah, diminutive guy, really kind of looks like a good 10-type player, like a deep-lying player
25:35 with an eye for the spectacular. Good amount of goals and assists, isn't he? Would obviously have
25:42 to be one for the future for Pompey. I'll be honest, I don't know if it's credible or not.
25:46 I would just say that I don't think, if you're looking at the step-up for the big championship
25:51 ready now, is he that? I don't think he's quite that. So, that would be without having a definitive
25:57 sort of steer on it, I would think it probably more unlikely than likely. Yeah, if it's any
26:03 consideration, I am actively trying to chase that one up, but I have no luck as yet. Let's see,
26:12 Mikel Miller, second from last. Yeah, Mikel Miller. I'm leaving a big one to the end,
26:19 by the way. Oh, right, okay. Was that Harrison Burrows? Oh, no, me, I've got two more down.
26:26 Sorry, Mikel Miller. Yeah, he fits the bill. I'm sure Pompey would be asking the question about a
26:37 player like Miller. They really need pace in wide areas. I think Pompey would be linked with a couple
26:42 of Oxford and maybe one or two others, weren't they? Yeah, the only handle I have on that really
26:51 is the fact that I think Plymouth seem quite relaxed about keeping him. They seem like they're
26:55 quite confident about him staying. Obviously, out of contract, I think they're in talks with him.
27:02 Pacey upright up, I think he might have adapted to the left-sided wing-back role over the years,
27:08 hasn't he? But I'm sure Pompey would be in and around that. He does fit the bill in terms of
27:13 pace down the left that they need, but I think maybe he might just end up staying at Plymouth.
27:18 I think they've seen Nathaniel Ogbert, the guy who was on loan at...
27:26 Yeah, but then you need two left-backs or two left-wingers, don't you? You need two for each
27:32 position, don't you? Yeah. Okay. Well, let's say you mentioned Harrison Burrow. I totally
27:37 forgot about that. I don't know how, but yeah, Harrison Burrow, surely he's out of Pompey's
27:41 reins, Jordy, hasn't he? Yeah, exactly that. And we wrote that at the weekend, didn't we?
27:46 One that is just... Yeah, I think it's popped up a couple of times. Pompey's name got thrown in at
27:56 the Peterborough end. This is more of a kind of... I know Alan Swan, I think it's kind of a
28:03 conceivable one more than actually having it based on solid foundations. But let's get it right,
28:12 Harrison Burrow, even with a year on his contract, multi-million pounds, especially when you've got
28:18 probably a who's who in the Championship, some big, big hitters and maybe even a level above
28:25 looking at bringing him in. I mean, he's really emerged well at Peterborough, one of the shining
28:29 lights of a club that continues to operate fantastically and produce talent and make big
28:35 profits on them. Drive a really hard bargain, a bit like Atkinson are in Leeds too, but the next
28:40 level up. They've got their way of operating and they tend to get the valuation more or less on
28:48 these players. So Harrison Burrow is out of Pompey's reach. We'd love to have him, but no,
28:53 he's going to somewhere where they're paying good money. Probably a couple of million pounds,
29:01 probably a couple of million to get Harrison Burrow, even with a year left on his contract.
29:04 Just on a side note, and just talking about Porsche, Josh Knight is a free transfer this
29:12 summer. Have you been mentioning him with Pompey?
29:17 Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised. I've kind of wrote something on Peter without having a real insight
29:24 on that one that I wouldn't be surprised given that Pompey would need reinforcement in that area.
29:29 I think Darren McKenzie said that he's sure that there's Championship interest in him.
29:35 Is that from Pompey? I wouldn't be surprised if Pompey had asked the question.
29:39 But yeah, maybe we want to actually chase up a bit more, a bit more solidity actually.
29:45 Yeah. Okay. The last one, we are getting to the last one. And it's the big one. It's the big one.
29:51 We all want to know, is this going to happen? I know you have had this player here in the past.
29:55 He's made reference to coming back to Pompey. There's been a bit of speculation that that
30:00 could happen. What about Matt Ritchie then? Give us your take on that.
30:04 Oh, Matt Ritchie. All right.
30:05 That's who you're on about. Yeah, of course. I mean, I've written about him
30:14 and know Matty from back in 2010 and going to America and having debates about whether I rated
30:22 him in that over my ratings I was giving him in games. And I gave him a five in one game. I remember
30:27 that game against DC United. I think they got tanked. They were three-nil down. He had a good
30:31 game, but I was like, I gave him a five or a six. He's like, you're not having me, are you? I remember
30:36 he's a young lad. I thought, yeah, he's got the sort of kahunas to come out and say that.
30:42 I was like, look, when you lose three goals in that many minutes, no one's getting a particularly
30:46 high mark, Matt. As it was, I always did rate him. And 10 games at Pompey was a real shame in that
30:53 career. But gone on to have a really good career in the game. And it's interesting, yeah, maybe
30:58 2020, about three or four years ago now, when I did that big article with him saying, "Unfinished
31:03 business at Portsmouth." He got a real excited reaction. And people really infuse about the
31:11 notion of him coming back. So for now, the kind of muted response it was to the idea of Matt
31:18 Ritchie returning is kind of a real big turnaround. But the fact is, Pompey have now established a way
31:25 of operation under Rich Hughes and John Massino, where they put young players on developing
31:31 and increasing in value and looking for players on the rise. So people kind of,
31:39 the muted response, I guess, to a great extent was from people saying, "Come on, this doesn't
31:43 fit the kind of remit of what Pompey were operating," more than sort of a slight on Matt
31:49 Ritchie. That's the way I read it anyway. So yeah, my sort of work on that maybe four or five weeks
31:59 ago, because of that reason, was like, "It doesn't fit the bill. Forget it. It's not going to happen."
32:02 So I wrote that he wasn't on Pompey's shopping list at the start of last month. Since then,
32:07 and probably even in the last more specifically the week, last week or so, I've sensed a kind of
32:13 sea change in that sentiment. And things don't seem quite as dismissive about Matt Ritchie as
32:20 what they were back then. So again, I wrote about it yesterday. I think when you look at
32:27 what the gains are from Matt Ritchie, I don't think he's become a one size fits all to Pompey's
32:31 policy. He deserves the respect for the way he conducts himself, the career he's had, the way
32:37 he will beat Pompey, half of Pompey's younger squad now when it comes to fitness tests.
32:41 He's lived a life. So there's that to it and the influence he could have on the dressing room is
32:49 something that quite encourages me. So I think you've got to take every player on their own
32:56 individual merits rather than having to sweep it. They're over 30, forget it. So with Matt Ritchie,
33:02 I think if you could look at it in a way where you can construct a deal, he's been on probably,
33:07 I don't know, 40, 50,000 pound a week at Newcastle or whatever he's on. If you can look at a way to
33:12 say where he's earned his money, it doesn't mean he's not driven by money, he's driven by ambition
33:18 and he's got unfinished business at Pompey. If you can construct a deal where it's like a small
33:24 weekly wage, then maybe that becomes more viable and it doesn't eat into it again,
33:29 doesn't get into that playing budget. Maybe it works. I think the influence he could have on
33:34 the dressing room could be quite supportive. Look at Marlon Pack and people like that,
33:39 who have come with added experience and leadership. You're not going to necessarily get 46 games out
33:46 of Matt Ritchie but there might be just something to offer. I'll get more from what I pick up,
33:53 broader senses, which yes, there might be a bit more of that now. I'm not saying it's going to
33:57 arrive, it's definitely going to decide. This thing, Pompey, might be cast to get the motion
34:04 out of hand and it'd be stupid not to look at one of Matthew's calibre if there's an opportunity.
34:10 We'll wait and see on that one. That's quite a complex set of circumstances. I hope I've just
34:20 fitted in how I see things at the moment. Just on Ritchie's age and wages etc,
34:29 we'll focus on his age. How hard and fast are Pompey going to be playing for that role of
34:36 bringing in up and coming young players, players that can develop with them and maybe sell on as
34:42 assets down the line? I know with Brother Marlon Pack, Joe Rafferty gets sort of a minute to the
34:49 nose this past season. Are they still going to bring in players who will add leadership,
34:53 experience, nice at that level? What way is it shaping up in that respect?
34:59 Yeah, it's a stated policy and the majority of Pompey's work will be done to that extent.
35:04 They're looking for young players that can come in and be first team ready now and improve his
35:10 assets. But there's not a one size fits all to this. You've got to look at other opportunities.
35:15 The Matt Ritchie opportunity wouldn't present itself at many other clubs, would it?
35:19 Because he's from the area, he's got unfinished business in his own words at Pompey.
35:25 He could probably go and get in the Championship at least and get a really good wage.
35:29 But maybe he would just want Pompey and maybe there might be an avenue to other
35:34 opportunities down the road for him as he comes towards the end of his career.
35:38 I mean, someone of his standards and conduct, I mean, what an asset that would be,
35:44 no doubt about it in short and long term for Pompey. So, yeah, that's,
35:50 Pompey would be daft and that's the exact words I've heard is it would be ridiculous not to
35:57 consider it. It might not mean it's going to happen, it goes against the policy. There's
36:02 quite a fuses and moduses to it. But Pompey, for example, would be pace out wide if Matt Ritchie
36:08 doesn't offer that. But then if he was on a low wage, he might be able to get that pace still.
36:12 So, there's so many things to throw into it, but it might just be that it all adds up for Pompey in
36:18 a way. I know, I bet you've got Marlon Pax, his biggest cheerleader at the moment. I bet he's on
36:23 the WhatsApp to see what he can offer. Yeah, he'd probably be on a percentage actually, Marlon,
36:31 if it does get over the line. But yeah, you throw that into the mix and there might just be enough
36:37 to add up. Might not be what we're looking to as a whole, but in this example, you judge every case
36:44 on its individual merit, don't you? Yeah. Sorry, I was going to wrap up there, but you mentioned
36:50 Marlon. What's the latest with him and Conor O'Govey? And we may as well throw in Joe Morrell
36:55 and Zach Swanson in there too. What's your take on that there? Yeah, a week ago with Marlon and
37:02 Conor, good news on that. A lot of positive noises on that. Don't think it's quite there yet,
37:08 from what I know in Marlon's case, but there's certainly the desire there and it's almost there.
37:14 That was sort of the exact words I picked up on that front. Same with Conor. Those deals get
37:20 done for me and that is a little bit of an unsettled nature to some fans as they wait
37:27 for these deals to get done, but don't panic. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, don't panic on
37:32 these two. I think that they get there. Joe Morrell, Zach Swanson, door not necessarily
37:39 shut on those. I thought they were pretty much slammed shut. There might be some issues with
37:44 Joe Morrell. We'll have to look into that. Zach Swanson, yeah, I think they're kind of maybe just
37:50 going to keep the door ajar at the moment. Again, a few weeks ago, I thought there was absolutely
37:55 no chance that anything could happen on that front. They need to keep that one boiling along
38:02 maybe at the moment, wait and see how things unfold this summer with transfer business.
38:08 Again, watch his face on that. Right, okay. Well, here we have on three
38:16 quite an extensive list there. Thank you very much, Jordi, for that there. Very helpful indeed.
38:22 Yeah, I will keep on track with what's going on. Stay with us at PorscheMath.co.uk as we bring you
38:27 all the latest at Pompeii. Jordi, you'll be able to think of it, no doubt. Thank you again. Thank
38:32 you all for watching. We'll see you all again soon. Goodbye.