Portsmouth defender back to work as he looks to secure long-term Pompey future
Ibane Bowat is already working on his fitness despite Pompey’s players not reporting back for training until the end of June
Ibane Bowat is already putting in the work so that he can make an instant impression on his Pompey pre-season return.
The Blues’ players aren’t expected to report back from their well-earned summer breaks until the end of June, giving John Mousinho’s current squad plenty more time to recover from their exploits over the 2025-26 campaign and relax with their loved ones.
Chronicled in his instagram account, the defender has certainly been enjoying his time away from Fratton Park, with a trip to Rio de Janeiro an unforgettable highlight following Pompey’s final game of the season against Birmingham on May 2.
Bowat started that match and played the full 90 minutes as he ended the season on a high. It was his goal against Leicester a few weeks earlier that effectively secured Pompey’s Championship status for another season.
But to ensure he builds on that, the 23-year-old is already laying the foundations for what he hopes will be a successful pre-season.
Since returning from Brazil, the defender has enlisted the help of highly-respected individual development coach Yousif Kampoori to help him be fit and ready for his return to the south coast.
And he’s been showing off his impressive work ethic and commitment to returning to duty in the best possible shape by sharing his progress on Instagram.
Work on his defensive skills are clearly the order of the day as the centre-back is put through his paces during a series of drills at the Elmbridge Xcel Leisure Complex in Walton-on-Thames.
That’s not far from former hunting grounds Cobham and Motspur Park, the training homes of former clubs Chelsea and Fulham.
It was from the latter that Pompey brought the defender to Fratton Park in the summer of 2024. However, his stay on the south coast has been far from plain sailing.
A serious knee injury picked up in training just 10 days after his arrival ruled him out for the entire 2024-25 season, withouth kicking a ball for the club.
Bowat made his full debut for Pompey in their disappointing Carabao Cup defeat against League One Reading at Fratton Park in August 2025.
But he had to wait two-and-a-half months for his first league appearance, which eventually came away to Birmingham last November.
The left-footer kept his place in the team for the games that immediately followed against Wrexham and Hull. Yet he has struggled for consistent regular game time, with the former Fulham player often finding himself down the pecking order.
Despite securing Pompey a crual win against Blalckburn in December, Bowatt missed out on the Blues’ next two games.
The 23-year-old was also an unused substitute against Coventry in April, just days after his goal earned the club a huge victory against Leicester.
At present, there’s no shortage of centre-backs at Fratton Park.
It’s an area that will bo doubt need trimming, especially with Pompey linked with Dundee’s Luke Graham and Elfsborg’s Ibrahim Buhari.
Bowat’s decision to concentrate on his game weeks before he’s due to report back to duty is that of a player determined to turn his fortunes around and secure a long-term Pompey future.
The defender’s contract runs until 2027.
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