Danny Cowley gives reasons for player departure at Portsmouth | OneFootball

John Marquis left Portsmouth for a permanent deal at Lincoln City until the end of the season this week after struggling to win over the Pompey supporters.

The 29-year-old is a proven goalscorer at League One level and would have backed himself to lead the promotion charge on the South Coast this term, however for one reason or another it did not materialise and he may end up a free agent in the summer.

Danny Cowley gave his insight on why it was mutually beneficial for Marquis to leave Pompey when he spoke to Portsmouth.co.uk.

He said: “It didn’t work out, it wasn’t through want of trying and I am sure everybody at Pompey respects that and wishes him well.

“I just think sometimes for players you’ve got to cut them free and, for John, I just don’t think it was going to work out here.

“For all the will in the world and for all the work we did on the pitch and off the pitch, I think that commodity of confidence had gone.

“And when you feel like you have lost the trust and belief of the supporters it can be very hard to find your best form – that was the reality.”

Marquis scored 35 times in his second spell at Portsmouth which began at the beginning of the 2019/20 campaign, a respectable goal return but one that did not see Pompey earn promotion to the Championship which feels years overdue.

The Verdict

The arrival of Tyler Walker and George Hirst’s steep improvement this season, mean that Marquis does not feel like an enormous loss for Pompey where maybe he would have in previous seasons.

Getting him off the wage bill may give the club a greater chance of keeping key man Marcus Harness and Ronan Curtis this month and despite a slow start to the campaign, the group will fancy their chances sitting firmly inside the play-off chasing pack.

Cowley has had a very good record of improving younger players in recent years and therefore he could be more suited to working with the likes of Walker and Hirst.

It will be interesting to see where Marquis ends up beyond this season and if he can hit the ground running for the Imps.