Portsmouth set for big blow as 26-y/o agrees surprise free transfer move | OneFootball

Portsmouth are set to lose a key player at the prime age of 26 as he has agreed a surprise free transfer move to MLS...

Portsmouth achieved Championship safety with games to spare, and with the end of the season fast approaching, John Mousinho can focus on improving his team this summer for a third year of second tier football in succession.

Prior to the recent 5-1 loss to Coventry City, Portsmouth got themselves out of danger via an unbeaten run of five games. That included three wins in a row as well, leaving sides like Leicester City and Oxford United in their wake.

A number of key players have had to come to the fore following an injury sustained to key attacker Josh Murphy, with Keshi Anderson and Andre Dozzell scoring against Oxford United in a 2-2 draw with 10 men.

Conor Chaplin, Conor Shaughnessy, Colby Bishop, and Ibane Bowat have also been the heroes of that three-game winning run, with Pompey keen to retain as many of their stars as possible next term to kick on after finishing 16th last season.

They have had two years to consolidate now but a club with Premier League pedigree will be keen to fight at the top end of the table in the near future once again. However, a blow has emerged with one of their best players in recent weeks and months.

Andre Dozzell set to leave Portsmouth this summer for D.C. United

Not renowned for scoring and assisting goals, Dozzell has managed three goal involvements this season. That includes two of them coming in his last nine games against Oxford and West Bromwich Albion.

He has played 35 league matches this term, but 34 of those have come as a starting player in midfield. Dozzell is often deployed at the base of midfield as part of a double-pivot and he has had a strong campaign during his second season with the club.

After penning an initial one-year contract following his release from QPR, Dozzell had the option to extend by a further 12 months. The club exercised that option in the summer, but the midfielder is now out of contract in June.

US soccer expert Tom Bogert of The Athletic has revealed MLS outfit D.C. United have agreed to terms to sign Dozzell this summer on a free transfer when the 26-year-old's Portsmouth contract expires.

The MLS season is only nine matches in, but D.C. United - owned by former Swansea City investors Jason Levien and Stephen Kaplan - sit 10th in the Eastern Conference standings, and they have made their move to bolster their midfield options in a bid to bring ex-Ipswich man Dozzell across the Atlantic Ocean.

Andre Dozzell could be making a mistake by leaving Portsmouth

It's fair to say that Dozzell has struggled to put down roots across his career, with a pattern emerging of short-lived spells rather than staying in one place for any kind of long-term impact.

Arguably, his most settled period has been at Fratton Park, too, which is why Pompey fans will be disappointed he is exiting for nothing.

Despite showing early promise at Ipswich Town, he fell just shy of a century of appearances (93), failing to fully cement himself at his academy club.

A similar story unfolded at QPR, where he again stalled on 98 outings, with Dozzell never quite convincing as a consistent midfield presence.

Now with Portsmouth, he sits on 78 appearances, and is set to depart before reaching that symbolic milestone once more.

His impending move feels less like a progression and more like another reset for him. It's a fun adventure on paper, but he is departing the first club he has been a mainstay for as he enters his prime years.