After a sublime season which saw them take the League One title on their way to promotion to the Championship, there have been some hard decisions for John Mousinho to make with the step-up to the second tier in mind.
One of the biggest decisions that he’s had to make after the commencement of season, was the names of the players who he’d have to release. It would be unsustainable to keep every man from the title-winning squad, but fans did seem to think that one or two of the omissions from the future plans of the club did seem rather harsh.
One of those players who was unlucky to not be offered a new contract was defender Joe Rafferty. The 30-year-old would make 39 appearances in the third tier this season, 36 of those being starts and was one of the key men in Portsmouth’s strong defence.
Perhaps it was his age which Mousinho has factored in to not offering him a new contract, but given that Rafferty already has Championship experience with Preston North End, it does seem somewhat of a harsh decision.
Nonetheless, Mousinho, who has been a revelation at Fratton Park obviously knows what is best for the club and will be looking to bring a new right-back in for when his side make the step-up to the Championship next season.
Rafferty will be a hot property on the free agent market this summer and would bring quality and experience to any defence which needs it. Given his performances this season, he’d walk into more or less any League One side and perhaps the more ambitious sides in the league will be looking to offer him a deal.
According to journalist Alan Nixon via his Patreon, Wigan Athletic have expressed an interest in the defender, who will be available on a free transfer this summer.
Shaun Maloney’s side will be looking to improve on their 12th place finish this season and there’s a high likelihood of that happening. The Latics’ plans of a decent finish were scuppered by a points deduction but looked incredibly strong throughout the year.
Signing players of Rafferty’s calibre may be just what they need in order to push on next season and achieve promotion.
Writer’s View
The omission of Rafferty, alongside Sean Raggett from the retained list were probably the biggest surprises of the ten players who Portsmouth released. That is however the harsh nature of professional football and they’ll be looking to hit the ground running when they find a new club.
Wigan seems like a great landing spot for Rafferty, with the Latics expected to be in the fight for promotion next season. He’ll have the opportunity to further prove himself as one of the best defenders in the third tier at a side who are on the up.
Portsmouth will be in the market for a couple of defenders this summer to further bolster their ranks. It able to get the right players in, then they may well continue to progress next season.