Wantaway striker Conor Chaplin has been left out of Portsmouth’s squad recently and is still coveting a move, with Coventry City his preferred destination.
Pompey drew 0-0 with Doncaster this weekend, but Chaplin was sat in the stands as Kenny Jackett says he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to play.
“In his own words, Conor didn’t feel that this weekend he was in the right frame of mind,” Jackett told the Portsmouth News. “Possibly that was him thinking of his team-mates.”
Chaplin was linked with a move to the Ricoh Arena after Coventry sold Marc McNulty, but the rumours are surfacing again after Maxime Biamou suffered a season-ending injury. Jackett remained tight-lipped on the actual side interested, but confirmed Chaplin was still being chased.
“There is interest in Conor. There is always interest in centre-forwards and there has been interest in him, obviously., but similarly there is nothing changed and if you are saying to me right now who we have got to come in, well we are not imminently going to sign someone.”
Mark Robins has also admitted he’s still after the striker, especially given his recent injury news.
21-year old Chaplin has come through the ranks at League One Portsmouth, playing 104 times and scoring 22 goals. He’s fallen behind Ollie Hawkins and 24-goal Brett Pitman in the pecking order and wants to move to secure regular first team football.
Our View
It’s a little greedy, at 21 he should fight for his first team spot, especially with the side that brought him through as a youngster. Instead, his head has been turned.
There’s a view that both his attitude and ability do not match his demands for first team football and perhaps Pompey would be better with £300,000 in their bank than a striker who doesn’t want to play.