Portsmouth eyeing up Walsall star ahead of potential January transfer raid | OneFootball

Portsmouth are keen on a January move for Walsall star Connor Barrett.

Championship outfit Portsmouth are weighing up a January move for Walsall defender Connor Barrett, who has made a great start to life in League Two this season.

That's according to journalist Alan Nixon via his Patreon Page on Sunday morning, as he reports that the Championship side are keen to add the 23-year-old to their defensive unit in the winter transfer window.

Barrett has made an excellent start to the campaign with Walsall, notching up three goals and two assists in 13 league outings thus far, which has seen Mat Sadler's side reach the summit of the League Two table.

The Saddlers are looking to bounce back after their dramatic promotion collapse last season, and losing key players such as Taylor Allen in the summer transfer window.

However, the form of their right-back has caught the eye of potential suitors higher up the food chain, and reports suggest that the Midlands club could face a battle to retain him in January.

Pompey have made a solid start to their second season back in the Championship, as they sit in mid-table after the first ten matches of the new campaign, and earned an excellent point on their travels to the King Power Stadium on Saturday.

However, reports on Sunday suggest John Mousinho is already eyeing up potential improvements to his squad in the winter, and has identified Walsall's Barrett as an option to come in at the right wing-back position.

Barrett has been a standout for Walsall in their excellent start to their League Two campaign, notching three goals and two assists in his first 13 league outings, and proving to be an excellent modern wing-back, who contributes both offensively and defensively.

According to Nixon, Barrett's start to the season has caught the eye of Portsmouth, which saw Mousinho make a personal trip to go and watch the defender recently.

Barrett spent time in Leicester City and Burnley's youth setup before making his first-team breakthrough at National League North level with Kettering Town, then he spent two years at AFC Fylde before making the move to the Bescot Stadium with Walsall.

The flying wing-back assisted nine goals in 44 league outings last term, but has now added goals to his game, and could be set for a move further up the ladder in January.

Walsall will be dreading the January transfer window once again

January was a key month for Walsall last season, but for all the wrong reasons. Talisman Nathan Lowe was recalled by Stoke City, which proved to be the catalyst of their downfall, as Sadler's side fell outside the automatic promotion places.

Whilst they did lose the likes of Allen and David Okagbue in the summer, plenty of quality incomings saw these gaps plugged, which has certainly shown in the club's league position.

However, after what happened last January with one key departure eventually leading to a total collapse, Saddlers supporters will be nervous once again approaching the winter transfer window, as they will hope they don't have a repeat of last season, should they sanction a sale of a key player such as Barrett.

Fortunately for Walsall, their star man is under contract until 2027, so they're under absolutely no pressure to sell to anyone in January, and could potentially hold off until the summer, unless an offer that comes in is too good to turn down.