Portsmouth earned an 18th place finish in the Championship with a 1-1 draw against Birmingham City on the last day of the season.
John Mousinho’s side initially took the lead in the early stages through Adrian Segeic before the Blues equalised through August Priske.
The Hampshire outfit will now be turning their attention to the summer transfer window after avoiding relegation by eight points.
While Portsmouth dropped from 16th to 18th in the standings, the club actually improved on their points total from last year, earning 55 compared to 54.
But Mousinho will want to climb the standings, and potentially lead the team to a promotion push in the future.
That could begin with a strong summer, where enhancements to the squad will be sought over the coming weeks and months.
Conor Chaplin permanent transfer claim
When asked about a potential permanent transfer for Conor Chaplin as a free agent following his loan spell at Fratton Park, FLW’s Portsmouth fan pundit Miltos Ioannidis claimed that this is a divisive topic among supporters.
While he admitted that the playmaker had a difficult campaign returning to the club where he first came through the academy system, he is hopeful that the 29-year-old can still get back to his best from previous seasons.
“Justifiably so, there is a divide between people as to whether we should try to get Conor Chaplin in on a free,” Ioannidis told Football League World.
“Honestly, what I’m mostly surprised about is the amount of people that would be totally against the idea, because I’ve seen a lot of comments from people that are like ‘we should by no means try to get Conor Chaplin back, that if he was a foreigner coming from another league and he had put up these numbers, he would be treated differently but because he’s one of our own he gets a different reception’.
“This season was by far Chaplin’s worst season in his career.
“Numbers-wise, performance-wise, he was inconsistent, nothing like the Conor Chaplin that we’re used to seeing over the past many seasons now at this level and below.
“So, this was by far the hardest year for him.
“However, he’s a player that has proven himself at this level, not just once, not just twice but over the years he’s had some really good seasons.
“And I think taking that pressure off him by being at a club where he feels idolised and he’s not on loan like he was with us this season could prove to be a massive difference.
Ioannidis has called for Portsmouth to sign Chaplin on a permanent basis this summer, provided he is willing to accept a role as a squad player due to the rising importance of Segecic in Mousinho’s side.
“Where I stand is I would personally try to get him in on a permanent deal, on a free transfer because, like I said, this experience that he comes with, that doesn’t come around too often, especially on a free,” he added.
“Had he had that season that he just had with us with another club, we would also be talking differently about him because we know what type of player he is.
“And if it’s not us, then it’s guaranteed going to be another Championship club that maybe is in a position where they could offer more money because wages could prove to play a part in this.
“I believe he’s got some pretty significant wages, and Ipswich were covering the majority of it.
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“But if it’s not us it’s definitely going to be another Championship club, and me personally, if Chaplin wants to come and he’s willing to accept that he won’t start every game because we’ve got Adrian Segecic, whose best position is definitely in the 10, and we don’t want to hinder his development and growth.
“So if he’s fine with that, and wants to come, I’m more than open to that.
“I’m more than open to signing him on a free because apart from the Pompey connection, he’s a very good player and he’s just had a difficult season.
“But there is always the hope that this is a one-off, and he could be back playing his best again next season.
“He’s had some good performances with us, so I would personally be open to that.
“Instead of signing anyone else that we don’t know about, that is inexperienced.
“Get him in, get him on a free.
“If he’s willing to come and, like I said, comply with not starting every game, then absolutely he would be a great rotational option.”
Chaplin returned to Portsmouth late in the summer window, arriving on loan after Ipswich’s relegation to the Championship.
The 29-year-old came through the academy system at Fratton Park before departing in 2019 for Coventry City.
He made 36 appearances in the league during his time with Pompey, including 26 starts, contributing two goals and three assists.
However, more was expected from his time with the club, as he registered 13 goals and eight assists in his most recent campaign in the second division, helping the Tractor Boys secure automatic promotion.
It remains to be seen whether Portsmouth will pursue a permanent deal for Chaplin, should he become a free agent this summer.
The forward still has the option for a further 12 months at Ipswich, although his fall down the pecking order at Portman Road indicates this won’t be triggered.
Kieran McKenna’s side earned their place back in the Premier League without Chaplin, securing second in the table with a 3-0 win over QPR on the final day.
Conor Chaplin deal could work out for Portsmouth
If Chaplin is willing to take a reasonable pay cut, and is ready to become more of a squad player, then this is a deal that could work well for Portsmouth.
While it was a disappointing campaign from the forward, he still has a vast amount of experience in the EFL, and he’s shown in the past that he can find the back of the net consistently.
As a free agent signing, it would be a relatively low cost deal to get over the line, and could allow Portsmouth to put their resources into signings of a greater priority.
Having him alongside Segecic could work well for Mousinho, particularly with the 21-year-old going from strength to strength as the season wore on.