‘A proper player’: Exciting claim made over £2.25m reported Portsmouth and Oxford United target
Pompey have been linked with a move for Luton Town midfielder Shandon Baptiste along with Championship rivals Oxford United.
Matt Bloomfield has given a glowing reference over reported Pompey target Shandon Baptiste.
And the Luton Town boss also explained the difficulties the midfielder faced last term after a difficult injury-hit campaign at Kenilworth Road.
News of the reported interest comes just 12 months into Baptiste’s three-year deal with the Hatters, who were relegated to League One on the final day of the campaign.
The Grenada international, who was signed as a free agent from Brentford last summer, was restricted to just 17 appearances in all competitions for Bloomfield’s men after suffering a succession of set-backs.
A hamstring problem initially kept the ex-Oxford United man out until February before sustaining a calf issue upon his return - ruling him out for a further two months.
Injuries have unfortunately blighted Baptiste’s career after coming through the ranks at the Kassam Stadium, where he was also a former team-mate of John Mousinho.
The box-to-box operator made just 34 first-team outings for the U’s, picking up several issues including numerous dislocated shoulders, anterior cruciate ligament damage, a torn meniscus as well as groin and ankle problems.
Despite his set-backs, the three-cap international has played 55 times in the Premier League for Brentford after being signed from the U’s for £2.25m in 2022.
He spent two years at the Gtech Community Stadium before being released by the Bees at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.
Matt Bloomfield on reported Pompey target Shandon Baptiste
Although Baptiste has only featured five times under Bloomfield, the head coach spoke highly of the midfielder despite his injury woes as he targets an injury-free 2025-26 season.
Speaking in April to our sister paper Luton Today, the Hatters boss said: ‘It was a lovely moment for Shandon as he’s a boy who cares.
‘I’ve really felt for him this season as he’s got himself going and then had a couple of breakdowns, but he’s gone about his work so well.
‘He’s someone I’ve admired from afar for a number of years, he’s a top player, a really top player and for him to have that moment after such a frustrating season, football throws up these stories and I’m so pleased for him.
‘He’s another fantastic option for us and another player that we think so highly of that we haven’t had as much as we would have loved to. We had a bit of a practice match in training to top up the minutes of some of the players that need it and Shandon was fantastic in the game.
‘He’s a proper player Shandon and a lovely boy, really hard-working, diligent, cares about his football. It’s been hard to see him suffer at times this season.
‘I wanted to get him on the pitch (against Bristol City) if I could because I know that then there’s an opportunity to maybe have more time on the pitch in the next few games.’
Pompey are in the market for central midfielders this summer, with Marlon Pack, Andre Dozzell and the forgotten Abdoulaye Kamara their sole options in the engine room.