Portsmouth boss confirms admiration for Millwall midfielder Ben Thompson

Portsmouth manager Danny Cowley has spoken of his admiration for Millwall midfielder Ben Thompson – and discussed the scenarios which could lead to the 25-year-old moving on this summer.

Former Lions boss Kenny Jackett signed Thompson on loan in 2018 and he made 23 appearances for Pompey before being recalled by Neil Harris in January 2019.

Jackett left Fratton Park in March and was replaced by Cowley.

Speaking to the Portsmouth News, Cowley said: “We know Ben, Ben’s a really good player. He’s a player with huge energy, and an infectious enthusiasm and a really good timer and arriver.

“Ben’s someone we know well, but we’re respectful he’s a Millwall player.

“We know he’s someone who’s a Championship player on Championship wages with a Championship contract.”

The 25-year-old is entering the last year of his current Millwall contract and Cowley explained that a loan agreement would be what Pompey would prefer.

Cowley added: “When they go into the last year of their contracts, in general, probably the loan option would be the best option for those types of players. But then the parent club need an enthusiasm to do that type of deal when they are in the last year of their contracts. They tend to not want to do that.

“If a player is surplus to requirements, they tend to want to cash in on the asset.

“With the boys who have one year left, you can sometimes get really good value, though. But that’s not normally in June, it’s normally closer to the end of the window when people are trying to create funds for themselves to use. That’s when the chain starts moving for that to happen.”