View: John Mousinho will be delighted by Zak Swanson contract decision at Portsmouth
Zak Swanson will be keen to kick on with Portsmouth after putting pen to paper on a new deal at Fratton Park.
Pompey are set to return to the EFL Championship for the first time since 2012 next season.
It has been a long time coming for supporters at Fratton Park, who will no doubt be counting down the days until they take on Leeds United at Elland Road (10 August).
After such a long time away from England’s second tier, a lot of hard work will be going on behind the scenes to ensure the club are ready for their long-awaited return to the Championship.
And some of that hard work is now coming to light, with Swanson being signed up to a new deal at Fratton Park (via BBC Sport, 19 July).
The defender has put pen to paper on a one-year contract which includes the option of an additional 12 months.
And Mousinho is clearly thrilled, with the Pompey boss saying, “We’re absolutely delighted to agree a contract for Zak to stay at the club.
“He’s a talented young player and showed plenty of promise last season to help us win the League One title.
“Now the challenge for Zak – as with the rest of the players – is to make the step up to the Championship and we believe he has the qualities to do that.”
Swanson arrived from Arsenal two years ago and managed 25 appearances during his debut season.
However, a recurring groin injury meant the 23-year-old only managed to play 19 times in all competitions last year as he made just seven EFL League One starts.
Zak Swanson signs new Portsmouth deal at Fratton Park
Swanson will be keen to push on in the Championship next season, and his background with Arsenal demonstrates that he should be able to play at a higher level.
The quality of football will go up, but Swanson has proven that he will be able to handle the increased demand on him and his teammates.
As per FotMob, his quality on the ball is clear, with the right-back ranking among the top 19 per cent of his positional peers last season for the number of successful passes he made (35.97 per 90) and his overall passing accuracy (78.7 per cent per 90).
He also played a lot of accurate long balls forward (3.40 per 90), ranking in the top 11 per cent for that particular statistic, with his accuracy (52.4 per cent per 90) placing him in the top four per cent.
With Portsmouth being promoted, they’re likely to be up against it more often next season and perhaps have less possession of the ball. But according to Swanson’s defensive numbers, that shouldn’t be an issue either.
He was among the top eight per cent of his positional peers last season for the number of tackles he won (2.01 per 90) and the top five per cent for the number of interceptions he made (1.85 per 90).
Swanson likes to get forward too, registering 0.93 shots per 90, and Pompey supporters will be curious to see what the player is capable of achieving if he can stay fit next season.
In other Portsmouth news, the club are keen to sign an Australian full-back.
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