Bristol City are set to sign Portsmouth defender Jack Whatmough on a free transfer once his contract expires, according to Ciaran Wiseman.
Jack Whatmough will join Bristol City from #Pompey on a free transfer when his contract expires on June 30th.
Keeping the academy graduate had been a priority of the club's but he is set to make the step up to the Championship with the Robins.
— Ciaran Wiseman (@CiaranWisemanSJ) May 19, 2021
Whatmough is an academy graduate at Portsmouth and has been in the club’s setup since 2012 and has made an impressive 136 appearances for the senior side. He made 34 appearances in League One this season being an integral part of Kenny Jackett’s and Danny Cowley’s side.
Since Portsmouth missed out on the play-offs by two points and saw their season ended abruptly, they’ve been working hard on securing the futures of several key players as they come to the end of their deals.
However, it has now been confirmed by Wiseman that Whatmough has agreed to join the Robins once his current deal expires at Fratton Park. It was reported earlier this week that Portsmouth was keen to tie Whatmough down to a new contract as they were aware of the reported interest from Bristol City and Millwall.
Nigel Pearson has taken the Robins job permanently and is now in the midst of a squad overhaul as he is letting players leave whose deals have expired and is looking to add fresh faces. It was clear from the final few games of the season that City needed to add defensive options to the side as they were leaking goals – only Huddersfield Town and Wycombe Wanderers conceded more goals than City in the entire season.
The Robins finished a disappointing 19th in the Championship, and it’ll be Pearson’s job to get City back up the table and competing for play-off spots. While Portsmouth have been trying to desperately keep hold of their star players so, the Cowley’s will be disappointed to see Whatmough leave this summer.
