View: John Mousinho could look silly over Joe Rafferty call at Portsmouth as transfer news emerges
Joe Rafferty could have a point to prove to Portsmouth next season following his release from the club, with the defender completing a move to Rotherham United this week.
The 30-year-old’s return north was confirmed on X on 20 May by the relegated Millers after he was one of 10 first-teamers confirmed to be leaving Pompey this summer.
The decision not to renew Rafferty’s contract was a controversial one for him as he believed he had something to offer John Mousinho’s team in the Championship, where he had previously played with Preston North End.
Rafferty had played 68 times for Pompey and has been a key cog in the League One title-winning machine of this season, and alongside Sean Raggett was predicted to be the biggest miss by the Fratton faithful.
Will Portsmouth miss Joe Rafferty?
First of all, it’s testament to Rafferty’s performances at Fratton Park that following the mixed reaction to his release, a host of clubs were rumoured to be interested including eventual destination Rotherham, as well as Wigan Athletic – close to his home in Liverpool.
Rafferty was popular among supporters on the South Coast – a mutual feeling with his family regularly travelling 200-plus miles to Portsmouth to watch the defender in action.
The 30-year-old registered a pass-completion rate of 76 per cent in 2023-24 [WhoScored, while his seven yellow cards – only three others registered more – showed he was not afraid to get stuck in.
Rafferty also played the fifth-most minutes of any Pompey player in the league (3,281) and was second only to Jack Sparkes (1.4) in terms of crossed per game 0.8.
Mousinho is appearing to be looking for a fresh dynamic in the right-back position, with Zak Swanson also not offered a new contract – though negotiations are continuing with the player’s representatives.
The Pompey boss is evidently not convinced Rafferty can make the step back up for longer than a year or two as the club attempt to establish themselves at second-tier level long-term, in order to then progress to the next step of promotion hunting.
It will be intriguing to see which type of full-back the club’s recruitment team pick up, in terms of both age profile and key attributes as a player.
In other Portsmouth news, Jed Wallace has commented on the Blues as his side West Brom are confirmed in the Championship next term.
For more Portsmouth news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.