Danny Cowley pinpoints Portsmouth players to form club's future - but jury still out on others
Danny Cowley admits he has identified ‘a number’ of existing Blues players he wants to accompany him on his Pompey journey.
However, he continues to learn about others who may yet fall by the wayside.
Pompey have four League One matches remaining as they seek to secure a play-off spot for a third consecutive season.
They are also four matches which could seal the fate of Cowley as the Blues’ head coach beyond his initial short-term arrangement.
There are those members of Pompey’s squad who have done themselves little favours in recent weeks following one point from a possible 12.
Overall, there are 10 out-of-contract players – with Duncan Turnbull now confirmed as departed.
Certainly the jury is out on many as the Blues head into Saturday’s match with relegation-haunted Bristol Rovers (1pm).
And Cowley is still scrutinising those candidates he wants to remain by his side beyond this season.
He told The News: ‘For people involved in professional sport, you have to prove yourself every day. That’s the truth of it.
‘We have players out of contract and there have been some, a number of them, who have impressed us.
‘We are clear on how we think we can move the club forward, whether that be in League One next season or the Championship. We had another recruitment meeting on Thursday afternoon.
‘There are players here whose attitude I like, the work ethic and the mindset. We learn every day about them and this is still really early into the relationship.
‘We are a new group, there are new relationships, the trust and respect is still building. But I think they are a good group.
‘They are honest and hardworking, they have got a willingness and humility to learn and our focus is on the here and now – and rightly so.
‘Of course we must have a strategic focus about next season, but, with the games coming as quickly as they are, we have to put all our intensity and thought into Bristol Rovers.
‘We can still achieve what we set out to achieve as a football club back in July and August and we have to fight really hard for that.’
Jordy Hiwula, Tom Naylor, Andy Cannon, Bryn Morris, Craig MacGillivray, Jack Whatmough, Ben Close, Ryan Williams, Haji Mnoga and Charlie Daniels are all out of contract at the season’s end.
However, a number of those have club options, including Cannon, Close, Mnoga.
Cowley added: ‘The club have made their stance pretty clear and, to be fair to them, we live in a moment where we’ve never lived before, while we’re coming out from the pandemic.
‘The board and owners are trying to get some clarity on what the landscape looks like – and then they can make some intelligent decisions about strategy moving forward.’
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