Atkinson ‘fuels Portsmouth return rumours’ with heartfelt Fratton Park message
Rob Atkinson has been linked with a permanent return to Portsmouth in recent weeks, with the summer transfer window now officially open for business.
Atkinson, who joined Pompey on loan in January, was key to keeping the South Coast side in the Championship.
The defender only made 14 appearances for Mousinho’s side but quickly became a fan favourite at Fratton Park.
Atkinson reveals he rewatches key Portsmouth moment
Pompey’s on-loan defender Atkinson will be remembered fondly for his remarkable moment against Derby County.
Atkinson’s partner is “sick to death” of him rewatching his iconic goal against the Rams.
But the 26-year-old is insistent that he will never tire of the moment, and he intends to savour it through YouTube for the rest of his life.
Atkinson made a huge impact during his short time on the south coast and helped Pompey to a 2-2 draw against relegation rivals Derby.
With Derby 2-1 up and leapfrogging the Blues in the Championship table, Atkinson popped up with an important last gasp equaliser.
He told The News (3 June): “Scoring was something I wanted to do for Pompey. I wanted to score at Fratton Park and I did it twice, which was truly, truly special.
“There are things which you miss when you’ve been absent from football for so long. I just completely forgot what that feeling of scoring a goal was like.
“I have already watched it a load of times – my misses gets sick to death of me watching it over and over again!”
In the 2-2 draw with Derby on 12 April, Atkinson scored three of the goals.
His equaliser cancelled out Jerry Yates’ opener before the defender diverted Kayden Jackson’s cross into his own net.
Ultimately, Atkinson’s last-minute header was enough to give Pompey a point and a huge boost going into the final four games.
The fan favourite has been regularly linked with the Blues, and with Bristol City currently managerless, Pompey could push to sign Atkinson.
It was understood that former Robins boss Liam Manning was a fan of the defender, but now Atkinson’s future is uncertain.
Portsmouth should should make Atkinson signing a priority
Atkinson clearly has a lot of admiration for the Blues and now is a good time to push for his signature.
With Mousinho’s future now more stable and just one year left on Atkinson’s contract, Portsmouth can begin to build for next season.
The South Coast club have shown that they don’t have the biggest budget in the Championship, so they must be efficient with their transfer business.
Pompey already have 12 players who need replacing from their retained list, which was announced last month.