Key Portsmouth figure offers honest assessment on club’s chances of sealing deal for 22-year-old | OneFootball

Portsmouth Chief Executive Officer Andrew Cullen has admitted that although the club would love to sign Hayden Carter on a permanent deal this summer, he believes that it is unlikely that a deal will be agreed with Blackburn Rovers.

A recent report from the Lancashire Telegraph suggested that Pompey were lining up a potential offer believed to be in the region of £500,000 for Carter.

After making nine league appearances for Blackburn during the first half of the 2021/22 campaign, Carter joined Portsmouth on loan in January.

The 23-year-old went on to produce a host of promising performances in the third-tier for Pompey as he helped the club secure a 10th place finish in the League One standings.

With Portsmouth looking to reach new heights in this division under the guidance of head coach Danny Cowley later this year, it will be intriguing to see whether they are able to secure the services of some classy operators in the coming months.

Whereas Cullen has confirmed that Pompey would like to seal a move for Carter, he has suggested that a deal may not happen due to the fact that he believes that Blackburn will be keen to utilise the defender in the Championship next season.

Speaking to BBC journalist Andrew Moon, Cullen said: “When we signed him [on loan], it was very much on the basis that this was a precursor to him being a big part of Blackburn’s plans going forward.

“So we’ll continue to monitor that one and if there’s any chance of us having Hayden back then we’d love to have him again here next season.

“If we could do a permanent then fantastic but I do think that is relatively unlikely given Blackburn’s plans for him.”

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The Verdict

Whereas it is important to note that Carter’s future at Blackburn could be impacted by the club’s choice of a new manager, Portsmouth may need to line up some alternative options to the defender ahead of the upcoming window.

Carter’s assured displays in League One last season resulted in him averaging a respectable WhoScored match rating of 6.86 at this level.

With his current deal set to run until 2024, the defender may be keen to test himself in the second-tier next season by featuring alongside the likes of Scott Wharton and Daniel Ayala in the heart of Blackburn’s defence.

There is a possibility that Pompey could be on the lookout for two new central-defenders this summer as Sean Raggett has yet to make a decision regarding his future despite the fact that he has reportedly been offered a new contract by the club.