Portsmouth battle over as Will Norris set to leave Fratton Park
Portsmouth will listen to offers for Will Norris throughout January as the club reinforces Nicolas Schmid as the outright number one at Fratton Park.
Schmid was signed for an undisclosed fee from Austrian side Linz in the summer, leading the bulk of the Pompey fanbase to see what was soon coming as Norris was phased out of the team.
Now, the promotion-winning goalkeeper has been heavily linked with an exit this month, with the Blues willing to cut ties [The News, 7 January] to enable him to kickstart his career elsewhere.
There was plenty of discourse earlier in the campaign over which of Pompey’s three senior goalkeepers should lead the pecking order, but it is now firmly established where matters lie under John Mousinho.
Schmid v Norris battle at Portsmouth is over
As short-lived as it turned out, the fight for the number one jersey at Fratton Park has now completely diminished and it’s clear Norris needs a new start away from Portsmouth.
The 30-year-old had impressed in parts early on in his Championship opportunity with some key saves, but also disappointed with an average goals conceded ratio of 2.38 per 90 minutes in the league; by contrast, Schmid has let in 1.53 per 90 [FBRef], and the Blues’ home form has risen drastically with his inclusion.
The Austrian has also kept up a marginally superior save percentage from shots faced, keeping out 68.8 percent of attempts as opposed to Norris’ 66 percent, and a glaring statistic – also via FBRef comparison data – shows Norris did not experience a single game on the winning side this term, to Schmid’s six.
Mousinho has shown himself to be versatile in his approach as the season has progressed, with build-up play varying on the opposition and the momentum of the contest. Schmid’s distribution does need improvement in this area, with just a 27 percent pass accuracy with long balls [Sofascore] – although focal points such as Kusini Yengi and Mark O’Mahony are out injured.
The summer signing – who arrived alongside fellow senior ‘keeper Jordan Archer as part of a 14-strong arrival crew at Fratton Park – is a brazen sweeping stopper at times, not afraid to venture outside his area, and has recovered 8.5 balls per game [Sofascore].
This came at a disadvantage away at Sunderland (5 January) as Schmid was caught cold for Wilson Isidor’s ultimately decisive early goal; however, Norris has been shown by Fotmob data to be in the bottom 24 percent of Championship ‘keepers this season for his sweeping ability, a key part of Pompey’s defensive discipline.
Schmid does, however, appear a much more confident presence in goal. Norris has endured some poor nights this campaign which coincided with the lowest points of Pompey’s journey so far, including his display in the 6-1 drubbing by Stoke City (2 October) in which he was arguably at fault for as many as four Potters goals.
But his contribution last season, including 19 clean sheets, will not be forgotten and he will imminently leave Fratton Park with all the gratitude of the Blues faithful.
In other Portsmouth news, a transfer decision is made as the Blues look to further cull the bloated squad.
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