Portsmouth FC will be thankful for Graham Potter's transfer fumble: View | OneFootball

FLW look back in time at Graham Potter and Östersunds' failed attempt to capture Portsmouth hero, Ronan Curtis.

Portsmouth almost missed out on Ronan Curtis but his move to Swedish side Östersunds fell through, paving the way for him to join Portsmouth.

He would eventually sign for Pompey from Derry City and went on to have a terrific career in Hampshire during a five-year stint at Portsmouth, despite the manner of Curtis' exit perhaps being a slightly sour note in the end.

Curtis wasn't under contract at Portsmouth, after declining a new deal on much-reduced terms in the summer of 2023, but he had been using the training ground to recover from his serious knee injury. It ended up being a quiet end to a Pompey career that included plenty of goals, assists, triumph at Wembley, and a club-record as well.

None of which would have happened had he joined Graham Potter's Östersunds side in Sweden. He was set to travel to discuss personal terms back in 2017, but they could not agree to them despite agreeing a fee with the Irish side of around €150,000.

Instead, he would join Portsmouth a year later; the rest, as they say, is history.

Ronan Curtis' Portsmouth career after failed Ostersunds move

Curtis was a direct player, often utilised from the left flank, but also able to operate as a striker to stretch play in behind. He has always been a player up for a battle and his eye-catching combative and direct approach made his transition to English football impressive from Ireland.

The best spell of his career so far came with Pompey, where much of the success of the team was built on the wing play of Curtis on the left and Jamal Lowe on the right. Curtis' impressive return of goals and assists naturally and eventually led to speculation of Championship interest.

Scouts watched him on numerous occasions, though he would never make that step up after injury issues ruined his progress recently. However, he is the club's top scorer in the 21st century, which signifies the quality of the player Portsmouth had during those dazzling first few years at Fratton Park.

He reached double figures every season except for his final one, which was shortened by a serious injury. That's for a player who wasn't an out-and-out number-nine. The wide man also picked up numerous assists and was remarkably consistent in terms of appearances, goals and assists for most of his time at Portsmouth.

He was renowned for his prowess on the left-wing, cutting in and opening up opportunities for his Pompey teammates, or scoring long-range efforts himself. Across five seasons, the Irishman made 226 appearances in all competitions, netting 57 times and providing a further 42 assists.

Despite his brilliance, he would endure a difficult end to his time with the club. The situation was complicated by Curtis' serious injury, which kept him out of action following him suffering knee ligament damage. John Mousinho's side offered him an additional 12 months whilst he trained with them to recover but Curtis opted to leave the club after five wonderful years.

None of that would have been possible had Graham Potter got his man and taken him to Sweden in 2017, but the years of service will be remembered for many years on the south coast, as Curtis became a modern-day legend and fan favourite.

Following his recovery from injury, Curtis joined AFC Wimbledon on a short-term deal in January. On his League Two debut for the Dons, Curtis bagged a 90th-minute winner to earn Wimbledon an impressive three points against high-flying Mansfield Town in late January.

After he wrote himself into the history books of Portsmouth, Curtis followed that up by putting his name in Wimbledon folklore forever with a last-gasp winner over arch-rivals MK Dons. It marked a superb comeback from serious injury for the man with eight full Ireland caps, and he will hope the worst is behind him as he has now started his Port Vale career.

Curtis has since signed a three-year deal with Port Vale, as one of numerous eye-catching signings alongside the likes of George Byers and striker Jayden Stockley. The Valiants beat off strong competition to sign the Irish international winger, and the move was greeted with delight by supporters, who will be glad of the intention shown by Darren Moore and owner Carol Shanahan in getting the deal done so early.

Curtis, who was out of action after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury, was still being linked with Championship clubs Cardiff, Bristol City and Blackburn Rovers at various points. Without the bad issue last year, Curtis would more than likely be playing in the third or second tier at least, which highlights the coup by Vale to secure his services in League Two.