Portsmouth: Sean Raggett delivers telling statement amid Gillingham links | OneFootball

Highlights

footballleagueworld video of the day

Sean Raggett has made it clear that he will not be joining Gillingham this summer.

The defender has said that he is committed to staying at Fratton Park and that he wants to fight for his place in Portsmouth's starting line-up.

The comments come after reports that linked him with a move to his hometown club, Gillingham. The 29-year-old is yet to start a game in the league for Pompey this season.

Sean Raggett to Gillingham links

The links between him and the Gills were initially denied by Portsmouth manager, John Mousinho.

The boss brought in another centre-back this summer, Regan Poole, with the idea that the two players would compete for the position that Raggett formerly occupied. Mousinho told the former Norwich City defender that he would be with Pompey this season earlier in the year.

Journalist Alan Nixon first reported, via his Patreon account, that Raggett, who was born in the Kent town, could be on his way home to Gills.

However, the defender has now come out and put those rumours to bed.

"No. I’ve been fully focused on Portsmouth, for sure," is what Raggett said when asked by BBC Solent about a potential move to the Gills.

The former Pompey Player of the Year said that it has been frustrating to be out of the first XI this season, but he vowed to work hard and win his spot in the team back.

"I think everyone who hasn’t played in the league is disappointed, as you’d expect," he continued.

"All you’ve got to do is work hard and try to get yourself in that team, which is what I’m trying to do, and I’ll carry on doing that.

"Even from when I was very young when I was starting out, I had a lot of – I’m not saying this is a rejection – but I had a lot of rejections and people telling me I’m not good enough, all the usual stuff. So I know what it’s about and I’ll just carry on working hard and trying to get into that team.

"I’m old enough now, I’ve got a lot of experience, I’ve played a lot of games, I know how football works. You’ve just got to work hard and try to get back into that side. It’s a long season and we’ve got a good squad here. If everyone is working hard and trying to improve each other then we’ll do well."

Tuesday night's game in the EFL Trophy against Fulham under-21s, saw him start for the second time this season, after appearing in the first XI in the club's Carabao Cup game against Forest Green Rovers. He scored a brace, and played the full 90 minutes in a 3-3 draw.

Up until the start of the new League One season, Raggett was a mainstay on the side's teamsheet, making 196 appearances for the club. This season, he's only been on the pitch for a total of five minutes, across two league games.