Exclusive:Portsmouth open door for Adam Webster’s return after Premier League man’s Brighton exit
Exclusive Pompey news this afternoon over the Premier League man and Fratton academy graduate.
Pompey are set to offer Adam Webster a chance to return to his old club.
The News understands the Blues are keen to give their former defender the opportunity to train with them, as he makes his return from an injury lay-off.
Pompey set to offer Webster training return - and former favourite’s keen
And Webster is believed to be receptive to stepping up his comeback from a serious knee injury, with the club where he emerged as an exciting young centre-back.
The Premier League man is currently a free agent with his seven-year stay with Brighton coming to a close this summer, after signing for the Seagulls in a then club-record £20m deal.
Webster is now in the final stages of his rehabilitation from the anterior cruciate ligament issue picked up at a Spanish training camp, with the setback leaving him sidelined last term.
The 31-year-old is now in a good place, however, with the academy graduate stating earlier this year that he feels physically in the best shape of his career.
And that has paved the way for Webster ramping up his return with the club he emerged at, before leaving for Ipswich Town in a £750,000 deal a decade ago.
The prospect of the West Wittering lad linking up with Pompey once again is an intriguing one, given their ongoing defensive issues.
Mousinho has dealt with continuing problems in that area of the pitch, with injuries once again surfacing ahead of the south-coast derby with Southampton.
Brentford loanee Benjy Arthur is facing a lengthy lay-off with a back stress fracture, while Conor Shaughnessy has battled different muscle issues and suffered a groin setback against Blackburn Rovers before the international break.
That leaves Regan Poole and newcomer Madiodio Dia as the two fit senior options going into the St Mary’s Stadium showdown on Sunday.
Webster would add undoubted top-level quality to the group, if his training return was to materialise into anything more significant.
All of his 138 Seagulls league appearances arrived in the top flight amid a total 158 outings, with the classy and composed operator’s form putting him in the England conversation during his time at the Amex.
As a free agent Pompey would be able to sign Webster outside of the transfer window, though that would need to work within the confines of the EFL’s 25-man squad rules.
The Blues shrewdly opted to register 22 players at the summer transfer window’s close, with Keshi Anderson, Connor Ogilvie and Josh Murphy not among that number as they recover from injury.
The EFL will also consider changes to the squad list in the case of ‘extenuating circumstances’ presenting themselves.
That was the situation as Pompey were allowed to deregister Ibane Bowat after a season-ending injury, with Colby Bishop replacing him in November 2024 following his return from heart surgery.