Portsmouth manager John Mousinho has confirmed his side will enter discussions with defender Cohen Bramall in regard to a new contract at Fratton Park.
The 28-year-old has impressed at Portsmouth since making the move from League One side Rotherham United, but currently occupies a position of strength with the club also possessing two other left-backs.
However, with the end of the 2024/25 campaign looming, clubs across English football are slowly shifting towards their summer transfer plans, with many players like Bramall set to become free agents.
According to a recent interview via Portsmouth News, Mousinho confirmed the Championship side were set to hold talks with the defender in regards to extending his stay at Fratton Park.
Is a new deal justified?
Since arriving from Rotherham United at the end of the January transfer window, Bramall has been a regular feature for Pompey.
Despite competition from Connor Ogilvie and Jacob Farrell, Bramall has featured in all but one of their games – with the fixture against Sheffield United being the only match he’s missed.
Similarly, Bramall has a lot of recent Championship experience which gives him the edge over Farrell and offers something different to Ogilvie who’s more of an adopted left-back.
To date, the 28-year-old has featured seven times for Portsmouth and has evidently done enough to capture Mousinho’s attention ahead of next season.
What did Mousinho reveal?
Speaking ahead of Portsmouth’s weekend clash against x, Mousinho revealed further details about the original plans for Bramall stating…
“When we brought Cohen in the conversation was “we’ve got two contracted left-backs next year”, so we don’t want to do anything beyond the summer.
“First of all we wanted to look at how he does, look at what we’re doing in the summer and see if that’s something we want to add.
“So there’s definitely that conversation to be had, but Cohen’s short-term goal is to get into the team and have the impact that he’s been showing, have those touches, show that athleticism and keep pushing for a place in the team.”
What should he do?
Ultimately, Bramall has evidently done enough in his brief appearances thus far to persuade Mousinho into discussing an extended deal.
Similarly, Portsmouth are likely to be in the Championship again next season which would mean he’d be able to retain his status as a second-tier player.
Playing devils advocate, Bramall may want more guaranteed minutes which could see him look for a move away.
However, he’s played for several clubs over the last few season’s so may be pushing to stay at Portsmouth to gain some stability within his career for the first time.
Portsmouth fans, would you keep Bramall in the building?