Transfer gossip: Portsmouth in four-team battle for £2m-rated midfielder with ‘bags of talent’
Pompey have once again been credited with having an interest in Reading midfielder Charlie Savage.
A transfer window rarely goes by without the Blues being linked with a move for the highly-regarded Wales international.
His services won’t come cheap, though, with Reading reportedly valuing the player at £2m following the impact he’s made at the Select Car Leasing Stadium over the past two seasons.
Pompey target Charlie Savage’s impressive career at Reading
Savage – a product of the Manchester United youth season – has been with the Royals since the summer of 2023.
Pompey were linked with the emerging talent back then alongside the likes of Cardiff, Swansea and Sheffield Wednesday. But it was Reading who won the race for his signature, with the midfielder signing a four-year deal with the League One outfit.
At the time of his signing, Reading’s then head of football operations, Mark Bowen, said Savage arrived with ‘bags of talent’ and was clearly someone who was ‘intent on making an impact as a senior footballer’.
And he’s ultimately been proved right, with the youngster racking up 96 appearances for the Royals over the course of the past two seasons.
He’s also scored 12 goals in that period and registered 15 assists as he’s adapted to the demands of senior football with ease.
Indeed, his 45 league appearances for Noel Hunt’s side last season was bettered only by defender Tyler Blindon, while his nine assists was the second most recorded in the third tier in 2024-25.
Robbie Savage – a player who fits Pompey’s profile
Savage’s clear robustness and availability over the past two seasons will no doubt impress Pompey, whose 2024-25 season was often hamstrung by injuries to key personnel.
His goals and assists from midfield also make him a stand-out performer, with his seven strikes from the engine room last term bettering anything that Andre Dozzell (2) Freddie Potts (1), Isaac Hayden (0) and Marlon Pack (0) managed for the Blues.
Pompey are on the lookout for midfield reinforcements this summer following the returns of loanees Potts (West Ham) and Hayden (Newcastle United) to their respective parent clubs.
Pack’s impact in midfield diminished as last season progressed, and is not guranteed to start their next term. Meanwhile, Abdoulaye Kamara made only five substitute appearances in the league as he struggled to adapt to English football following his move from Borussia Dortmund last summer.
The Blues are expected to make at least two signings in that department during the transfer window.
Former £800,000 Portsmouth man & Derby County winger makes shock move after Ipswich Town release
Marcus Harness has completed a shock move to League One side Huddersfield Town.
It comes just hours after the 29-year-old was told he would be surplus to requirements at Ipswich Town following their relegation from the Premier League.
The Tractor Boys still held a 12-month option on the winger’s Portman Road deal but declined to activate the clause. That saw him released alongside Australian international Massimo Luongo on Monday.
However, it hasn’t taken Harness long to find a new home, having joined League One outfit Huddersfield on a free transfer
The former Pompey winger links up with ex-Ipswich coach Lee Grant, who also recently departed the Suffolk outfit to become the new Terriers head coach.
It’s a surprise return to the third tier for the Burton Albion youth product, who registered two Premier League appearances at the start of last season.
After making the £800,000 move from Fratton Park to Ipswich in July 2022, Harness scored six goals in 40 appearances which also saw him win back-to-back promotions under Kieran McKenna.
The winger spent last term on-loan with the Blues’ Championship rivals Derby County, where he played a key role in the Rams’ successful survival battle.
He netted four goals and registered three assists for John Eustace’s side, who finished four points behind Pompey in 19th.
‘No brainer’ to join Huddersfield for Marcus Harness
The ex-Aldershot and Port Vale loanee becomes Grant’s second addition of the summer window after Ryan Ledson made the switch following his Preston North End departure.
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