View: Portsmouth affected by Championship play-off semi-final as John Mousinho suffers transfer blow
Norwich City were not the only club gutted by their elimination from the Championship play-offs on Thursday night (16 May) – Portsmouth have also grabbed the short straw.
A semi-final tie hung finely in the balance evaporated before Norwich’s eyes during the second leg at Elland Road, as a first-half onslaught from Leeds United shattered their hopes of a Premier League return.
In the process, Pompey fans will have watched on in frustration with the dwindling potential of bringing Abu Kamara back to Fratton Park at the forefront of their minds.
Whilst Kamara has so far played just three times in Norwich’s senior team, his incredible season that ended in a winner’s medal makes it likely that David Wagner will not be loaning him to a Championship rival this time around.
Abu Kamara’s next game in Portsmouth will be in a Norwich shirt
Kamara’s impact was up there with that of Marlon Pack, Conor Shaughnessy and Colby Bishop this season as John Mousinho’s Portsmouth side rocketed up to the second tier as League One champions.
With eight goals and 10 assists, as well as playing in every league match during his first full season in men’s football [Soccerway], the 20-year-old mesmerised the Fratton faithful after being lent to the Blues on loan from Wagner’s side.
An average Sofascore rating of 7.02 showed the youngster’s consistency – remarkable for this stage of his career – and the way he fit so seamlessly into Mousinho’s demanding 4-2-3-1 system struck a chord with the Pompey fans in a way that they will hope doesn’t come back to haunt them when the sides meet next year.
There are flaws to his game as you would expect for a lad of his age – his pass completion in the opposing half only averaged 63 per cent this year, rising to 70 per cent in terms of overall pass-completion rate [Sofascore].
But these easily coachable attributes will help build a tremendous footballer on top of the end product he has already come to show with his 18 league goal contributions – only Paddy Lane (19) and Bishop (24) could boast more [FBref].
It remains to be seen what Wagner and the Norwich staff decide to do with Kamara, who would be wasted playing another minute in League One. Unfortunately for Mousinho and Portsmouth, all roads lead to the winger being a potentially important asset for the Canaries in 2024-25.
In other Portsmouth news, the club have a decision to make over Tino Anjorin.
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