Portsmouth exit tipped for ex-West Brom player in 2027 – ‘It really hasn’t worked out’ | OneFootball

FLW’s Portsmouth fan pundit has commented on the future of John Swift.

Portsmouth will be hopeful they can rise up the Championship table after claiming their second victory of the season.

Pompey dispatched Championship new-boys Cardiff City 2-0 at Fratton Park last weekend, with goals from Conor Shaughnessy and Marko Milovanovic sealing all three points and meaning Pompey have taken six points from their opening five league games.

Portsmouth weren’t involved in midweek action, so they are now 17th in the table, but they will be refreshed with a full week on the training pitch heading into their weekend clash at The Valley against Charlton Athletic.

At the beginning of the season, some players will be getting more game time under John Mousinho than others, and one player who has been struggling for minutes in the early stages has been midfielder John Swift.

Arriving on a free transfer from West Brom last summer, Swift has failed to hit the heights expected of him on his return to Fratton Park, raising questions as to what his long-term future looks like.

With him appearing to be a less-used figure under the Pompey boss, FLW’s Portsmouth fan pundit has commented on whether the club should part ways with Swift relatively soon, with the midfielder struggling to impress on the South Coast of late.

John Swift’s struggles for Portsmouth and contract situation

Possessing impressive Championship pedigree at both Reading and West Brom, as well as viewed as a creative midfield player, John Swift has failed to live up to the hype since returning to Portsmouth for a second time.

Last season, Swift found himself in and out of the team, making just 29 appearances over the course of the second tier campaign, while a measly return of three goals and two assists meant his lack of involvement on the pitch was justified.

And this term, his game time seems to be getting worse. In their opening five league games, Swift has featured just once - a 16-minute cameo off the bench away at Bristol City.

Swift originally signed a two-year contract on his return to Fratton Park, so at this moment in time, his deal does run out next summer, allowing him to leave the club on a free transfer should the club not wish to extend it.

John Swift tipped to make Portsmouth exit next summer

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Speaking to Football League World, Portsmouth fan pundit Miltos Ioannidis has labelled John Swift’s time back at Portsmouth as ‘uninspiring’, believing the midfielder should depart Fratton Park next summer when his contract runs down.

Asked about Swift’s time at Portsmouth so far, Miltos told FLW: “Yeah, I think it’s totally fair to say that John Swift’s transfer to Pompey has been fairly uninspiring and unimpactful.

“He came into the club as one of the few players with any Championship pedigree and the hope was that he was going to provide us with that extra bit of experience in terms of someone who has already played at that level for a number of years.

“He knows the league, with some relative success in the past with Reading and West Brom, but it really hasn’t worked out for him as he would have ideally liked, so yeah, I think an exit is on the cards for him. There were even talks about him leaving this summer.

“But I still think he could have a role to play. I think he will feature this season, but the expectation is for him to depart from the club next summer. I can’t see him staying here beyond that.”

John Swift needs to step up to avoid underwhelming Pompey exit

There’s no doubt John Swift possesses the talent to be a top player at Championship level, but the problem he’s had that has carried over from his time at West Brom is the sheer inconsistency of when he produces.

Just five attacking returns all of last season is proof that he hasn’t been able to deliver consistently when it matters, with the club needing someone like Swift at that time to be on it more often than not as they battled to remain in the Championship.

And now heading into this season, it’s happening again, and it’s clear from the opening few games that John Mousinho doesn’t rate Swift as one of the more important players in his squad.

At this moment in time, it’s difficult to see Swift doing enough to earn a new deal, and it would be a big low point in his career and raise doubts over whether he will get another move to a Championship club ever again.

At the age of 31, Swift is showing major regression in his career and needs to find an extra gear from somewhere quickly to prove he can still be a big player for the team for the remainder of this term.