Portsmouth boss John Mousinho has admitted he’d be ‘surprised if there wasn’t interest’ in Joe Morrell this summer.
Morrell has enjoyed a brilliant second half to the season after injuries and a lack of starts made the beginning of his campaign one to forget.
The 26-year-old started just four games before the New Year but has since made 18 starts over the second half of the season in what has been a brilliant turnaround, barring the four-game suspension he received after being sent off against MK Dons.
Morrell joined Pompey back in 2021 but his recent performances for club and country could see him become hot property in the summer.
Speaking to The News, Mousinho admitted Portsmouth will likely face a battle to keep hold of the centre-midfielder.
Mousinho said:
“Considering his second half of the season, when he has been excellent for us, I would be surprised if there wasn’t interest in Joe. He has also started the last two games for Wales – Croatia and Latvia – so there are going to be people watching him.
“Should there be interest in him, it’s a compliment to Joe and everything we’re trying to do here. We’ll see what that looks like – hopefully Joe is still a player for us next season.”
Interest in Morrell?
Despite Mousinho’s concerns there’s yet to be any interest reported in the midfielder whose contract expires in 2024, with Portsmouth also holding a one-year extension.
Portsmouth are set for another season in League One and given the competitiveness of the third tier in recent years, it’s proved an incredibly difficult league to win promotion from.
With that in mind, Morrell could be open to a move back to the Championship where he previously played a handful of times for both Bristol City and Luton Town earlier on in his career, although there’s also nothing to suggest that the 34-time Wales international will be looking to force a move.
Morrell’s performances on the international stage for Wales at the World Cup, followed by Euro qualifiers against Croatia and Latvia, would not have gone unnoticed, especially with the Pompey ace playing the full 90 minutes in the draw away at Croatia.
Portsmouth host Wycombe Wanderers on Sunday, with kick-off at 12pm.
