Naylor, contracts, Thompson – your Blues questions answered
OUR weekly Pompey Q&A continues after Saturday’s impressive 2-0 victory over Peterborough United.
As ever, the debate around all things Fratton Park continues to rage, with plenty of talking points to discuss.
Here are the responses to questions we’ve been sent on Tom Naylor’s future, Nathan Thompson and the contracts situation at PO4…
Pompey have three tough-looking league games before Christmas. Is this a make-or-break period in Pompey’s season? What would be a good points tally from Ipswich, Fleetwood and Hull? Steve Wood The News: When we surveyed the fixture list in August, this period did appear to be Pompey’s most challenging.
The Blues performed poorly in the loss to Blackpool (last Tuesday) but the Seasiders went and won again on Saturday at Fleetwood. Maybe the result wasn’t as bad as it was suggested at the time.
Pompey bounced back magnificently against Peterborough and it sets them up well for the games against three more promotion rivals.
I don’t think it is a makeor-break period but it will certainly help define whether the Blues can finally finish in the automatic promotion spots or again be in the play-offs.
Five points (a win and two draws) would be a very decent return, I reckon. That’s just under the two points per game required to finish in the top two
What’s more, it would ensure their promotion rivals drop points, too.
One thing you can say about Pompey under Kenny Jackett is they’re capable of going on lengthy winning streaks.
So even if the Blues do underwhelm, they’re capable of hitting it off again very quickly.
Honest opinion – should we expect Tom Naylor to leave in the summer?
Dave Conville
The News: As long as the skipper continues to do his best Steven Gerrard impersonation, this will remain a pertinent question – and one we’ll try our best to answer.
We now know officially that Pompey want to keep their skipper beyond the end of his contract, which expires in June.
Let’s face it, we knew that was the stance before Joe Gallen tackled the subject, but it’s at least now on the record and in the public domain. He’s club captain, highly respected by players and fans alike, and is Kenny Jackett’s lynchpin.
But Gallen is well aware potential suitors will be watching Naylor’s contractual situation like a hawk. Every club in the country keeps track of players they could potentially snap up on a free.
It’s not just Naylor’s goalscoring that’s been impressive of late.
His distribution, which previously got criticised, has made a marked improvement and his reading of the play is better than ever. For me, he’s playing his best football during his time at PO4.
The midfielder has admitted he wants to extend his stay on the south coast.
The League One salary cap, however, continues to make. it impossible for Pompey to offer Naylor fresh terms. He would have to take a substantial pay cut to stay.
If there was no wage ceiling in place, a deal would possibly be wrapped up by now.
Naylor’s someone who could, quite easily, join a Championship side who are able to meet his wage demands in the summer.
Any bottom-six side would relish someone with his energy, resolve and grit.
The wage cap remains at a period of arbitration and the players do understand why their futures can’t yet be discussed.
But, in truth, if the £2.5m limit is here to stay, Naylor may reluctantly have to leave.
Approaching 30, he’s in his prime and entitled to look for the most lucrative deal of his career.
Pompey can’t afford to let all the players who are out of contract run their contracts down. It would be crazy. Is there any way agreements could be reached to stop players just walking away come June? John Bradshaw The News: As well as Tom Naylor, eight others are also out of contract in the summer. They are Andy Cannon, Jack Whatmough, Ryan Williams, Craig MacGillivray, Ben Close,
Bryn Morris, Haji Mnoga and Duncan Turnbull.
Mnoga’s exempt from salary cap restrictions, being under 21, so we don’t have to panic over him yet.
Meanwhile, the club hold one-year options on
MacGillivray, Close and
Mnoga so they can’t just leave if the Blues want to keep them – although the terms they’re currently on must be matched. The three Pompey really wouldn’t want to lose on free transfers are Cannon, Whatmough and Williams.
All have been key players of late and I’m fairly confident would also want to remain at Fratton Park. Unfortunately, there isn’t any sort of agreement that can be reached yet.
As the salary cap wrangles continue, they just have to be patient and accept the unprecedented situation.
The only thing I could think of is Pompey possibly getting the players they want to keep to sign some sort of pre-agreement.
If the Blues are in a position to offer Naylor X per week or
Whatmough Y per week come May, then the player/s have to put pen to paper.
Should Pompey be unable to do that because of the cap restrictions, the player/s have the prerogative to walk away.
However, I’m not sure if that would be permitted by FA rules etc.
Nathan Thompson was in the headlines again this week. Would he get in this current Pompey team?
Ash Bembridge
The News: You just can’t keep Nathan Thompson out of the column inches when he faces his old club.
And how well he did at Pompey, coupled with the manner of his departure, is why he’s still at the forefront of fans’ minds whenever Pompey meet Peterborough.
He didn’t have the best of afternoons on Saturday and was substituted when treading the disciplinary tightrope after being booked for a professional foul on Ronan Curtis.
Thompson’s just back from a hamstring injury and always takes a few games to find his rhythm.
And even though he apparently told Curtis it was a red card offence, yellow was the right call for me.
The short answer is, yes, he would get into this Blues team.
The former Swindon captain is regarded as one of the best right-backs in the division and Pompey didn’t want to lose him after suffering play-off defeat to Sunderland in 2019.
The Blues badly missed Thompson’s experience last season. James Bolton and
Ross McCrorie shared the role but never filled the void Thompson left.
In fairness, Callum Johnson’s come in and made a good start to his Pompey career.
His crossing left a lot to be desired in the first half against the Posh, but he was excellent in the second half.
The ex-Accrington man drew the foul which won the Blues the free-kick for Jack Whatmough’s opener.
Over time, Johnson will continue to improve and I’m convinced he’ll play in the Championship in the future.
But had Thompson penned a new deal with Pompey when he could have, he’d arguably now be vice-captain and just as important to the team.