League One Portsmouth are tracking former Burnley and Wolves stopper, Will Norris, as they prepare for a promotion push next season reports Neil Allen from The News (Portsmouth).
Norris, 29 will be a free agent when his Clarets contract expires at the end of the current season and Pompey boss John Mousinho will look to sign him if their number one target, Matt Macey can’t be prized from Premier League new boys, Luton Town.
Norris has only appeared three times for Burnley over the past three seasons, including Premier League starts against Liverpool and Sheffield United in 2020/21 and spent the second half of this season on loan at Peterborough, where he played 24 times in all competitions.
Norris made his EFL debut for Cambridge United back in 2012 and spent five seasons at the Abbey Stadium before impressing enough to attract the attention of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
After struggling to make an impression on the first team at Molineux, Norris went out on loan to Ipswich, before moving permanently to Lancashire to join Sean Dyche’s Burnley, but he again found tough competition in his way in the form of future England keeper, Nick Pope.
Macey joined Portsmouth on loan in January and Mousinho has made no secret of his desire to try to bring the former Arsenal keeper back to Fratton Park for next season.
The move for Macey though appears to be a complicated one and Norris is seen as the ideal contingency plan, particularly with no fee involved.
Mousinho will be facing added pressure ahead of the new League One campaign as Pompey look to finally mount a serious promotion challenge after falling short last time. The South Coast club finished eighth, but were seven points adrift of the play off places and at a club where expectations are always high,they will be expected to deliver better in 2023/24.
Mousinho has work to do in the transfer market this summer with eight players leaving the club when their contracts expire including Clark Robertson and Michael Jacobs. Negotiations remain ongoing with Ronan Curtis and Jay Mingi.
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A quick glance across social media sees many EFL fans already backing Portsmouth to challenge strongly next season such is the belief that Pompey should be at least a level higher than the third tier.
Mousinho will be only too aware that the only way to deliver success to the ever demanding Fratton Park fans will be to reinforce his squad and the search for a consistent number one keeper is at the forefront of the manager’s mind.
Matt Macey made a strong impression in his half season loan from Luton, but the Hatter’s amazing Premier League promotion may have put a big obstacle in the way of a permanent deal.
Will Norris looks a more than able alternative, at 29, he is yet to hit his prime and with his opportunities at Burnley scarce during his time there, he may well see a move to Portsmouth as an ideal chance to kick start his career.
