Portsmouth set to seal transfer agreement for Blackpool player | OneFootball

Portsmouth are set to recruit Blackpool winger Owen Dale on loan, according to a Patreon report from journalist Alan Nixon.

The 23-year-old made just 15 appearances for the Seasiders during the 2021/22 campaign, with his game time being limited under Neil Critchley during the last campaign following his move from Crewe Alexandra.

And unfortunately for the winger, he was out of the first-team squad completely against Reading last Saturday, something that doesn’t bode well for him with others being preferred ahead of him.

Quiz: Can you remember the score the last time Portsmouth played at these 26 stadiums?

1 of 26

Fratton Park?

1-0 loss 2-1 win 3-2 win 4-3 loss

During Michael Appleton’s first competitive game in charge of his side, he also opted to put Jerry Yates on the wing with Josh Bowler taking his usual place on the right.

Bowler has thrived since his move from Everton last year and was a key player against the Royals last weekend – and he is just one of multiple players currently keeping him low down in the pecking order.

With this, Appleton is set to sanction a loan move away for teammate Dale who is set to travel to Fratton Park and according to Nixon, he may be available for this Saturday’s tie against Lincoln City if he’s registered in time.

He could potentially arrive as a replacement for Marcus Harness, who opted to join league rivals Ipswich Town last month after being the subject of speculation for some time.

The Verdict:

Scoring 11 league goals during the 2020/21 campaign, he could be an excellent player to come in for Harness if he can replicate that form, though this isn’t something he’s done throughout his whole career.

In fairness, he has had the chance to train with Championship-quality players so that could potentially prepare him well for life in the third tier once more, though he will be under pressure to perform considering the calibre of player he’s succeeding.

It may take him a while to start performing well considering his game time last limited last season and he was left out completely on Saturday – but he could thrive considering he will probably spend the entire season at Fratton Park.

It’s probably better for Dale to make the move now so he has an extended opportunity to show what he can do – and that could potentially put him in the shop window in time for next summer.

But it could also put him back into consideration at Bloomfield Road if he does well, especially if Josh Bowler is sold because they probably won’t want to spend a fortune on his replacement.