Portsmouth boss John Mousinho provides latest over Conor Chaplin’s future amid Ipswich Town recall deadline
Conor Chaplin has registered two assists in 22 appearances for Pompey this season.
John Mousinho remains ‘hopeful’ Conor Chaplin will see out his season-long stay with Pompey.
And the head coach has spoken of his desire to keep the 28-year-old for a crucial Championship run-in.
The attacker has been an ever-present for the Blues’ this term, which has seen him amass 22 appearances in all competitions.
Despite frustrations in front of goal, which has seen him fail to score in any of his outings to date, Chaplin did play a central role in Pompey’s opener against Watford on Wednesday evening. It represented his second assist for his boyhood club following his deadline-day return in September.
Ipswich, of course, do hold a recall option in his season-long loan deal at Fratton Park, which was initially set to expire last Friday.
Chaplin was seen arriving at Pompey’s Hilsea training base this morning as preparations begin for Sunday’s huge south-coast derby affair with Southampton.
John Mousinho provides latest on Conor Chaplin’s Pompey future
With the forward’s recall clause deadline set to expire, Mousinho has revealed the Blues will speak with Kieran McKenna’s side to discuss his future.
And the head coach remains positive over the current situation and has signalled his intent of having the loanee at his disposal for the remainder of the campaign.
The Blues boss told BBC Radio Solent in his pre-Southampton press conference on Thursday lunchtime: ‘Today will be the deadline, we’ll speak to Ipswich and see what they want to do.
‘I’m pretty hopeful. Ipswich are absolutely flying at the moment, not to say that Conor wouldn’t go back and strengthen them. But Conor’s played pretty much every minute of every game here so at the minute for both sides.
‘He’s also played for Ipswich already so he can’t go back out anywhere else.
‘If they want to strengthen their own department going into the back end of the season, that’s up to them.
‘At the minute I think it would be a really good decision for him to stay.’
Kieran McKenna on Conor Chaplin’s future
Ipswich boss McKenna explained the reasoning behind the recall clause in Chaplin’s Pompey deal and why his side opted to extend the deadline.
Speaking to the media last week, the Tractor Boys head coach went on to admit he expects the forward to remain at Fratton Park for the remainder of his loan stay.
He told TWTD last Friday: ‘There’s an extension on the recall, so that goes into next week. The situation is that as it is we have 10 forwards in the building and they’re all there or thereabouts fit, so it’s likely that Conor will stay.
‘He’s playing week in, week out at Portsmouth and they’re in an important season, so I think the likelihood is that he will stay there for the remainder of the season.
‘But, of course, you want to leave things as long as possible because, should the situation change here for whatever reason, should the situation change there for whatever reason, you always want to have the benefit for the player to make as late a decision as possible.
‘I think there’s a deadline next week or something like that. The clubs have communicated this week a little bit and he’s very much in their plans for now and they’re planning to have him for the rest of the season. That’s as it stands at the moment.’