Fans’ favourite Evans set to end five-year stay at Fratton Park
GARETH EVANS’ time at Pompey is set to come to an end.
The News understands the attacking-midfielder is edging closer to the Fratton Park exit, bringing his five-year stay on the south coast to an end.
League Two Bolton are believed to be in for his signature, although there is interest from other fourth tier clubs up north.
Evans didn’t train with his Blues team-mates on Thursday ahead of tomorrow’s visit of Wigan.
It is believed he was putting the finishing touches to his move away, with the 32-year-old keen to move closer to his family in Greater Manchester.
Evans, from Macclesfield, surprisingly started Pompey’s first three games of the season, operating in the number 10 role.
However, he has all of a sudden found himself back down the pecking order following the arrival of former Wigan ace Michael Jacobs last week.
The 32-year-old was an unused substitute in the 4-0 Carabao Cup defeat at the hands of Brighton.
Meanwhile, he failed to travel with the rest of the Blues squad for their goalless draw at Rochdale on Sunday.
A popular figure among the Fratton faithful following his free transfer move from Fleetwood in 2015, Evans was a key member of the Pompey side that won the League Two title in 2017.
He’s also the last one from that Paul Cook-assembled side to leave.
Yet he has regularly found himself in and out of the Pompey starting XI under manager Kenny Jackett since he arrived at the club in the summer of 2017.
Last season he made 28 outings, but only 10 of those came as League One starts.
On his recall to the starting
XI for the season-opener against Stevenage last month, Evans scored from the spot as the game ended in a 3-3 draw before the vistors won on penalties.
That goal ensured the former Manchester United trainee had scored in each of his six seasons at PO4 - taking him level with both Matty Taylor and Kanu as Blues players to achieve that feat.
However, Evans does not look like he’ll be able to try to break Gary O’Neil or Alan McLoughlin’s achievement of netting in seven and nine straight campaigns respectively, with his Pompey departure set to be confirmed within the next 24 hours.
In total, Evans has made 218 Blues appearances, scoring 37 goals.