Portsmouth must eye reunion with star that left Fratton Park in 2015 | OneFootball

Portsmouth should look to sign former West Brom winger Jed Wallace this summer following his Baggies release

Portsmouth are looking to further cement their status as a Championship side this summer with a strong transfer window, and John Mousinho ought to sanction the return of a former winger who has recently become a free agent.

At the start of April, Portsmouth faced the very real danger of relegation, with Pompey right in and amongst the battle at the foot of the table.

However, an incredible run of form of just one defeat in their final eight league games, including important victories over the likes of Middlesbrough, Ipswich Town, and Leicester City, kept the South Coast outfit afloat despite the odds.

Pompey supporters will be keen to ensure that this incredible run to safety was not all in vain, and that the club, specifically the Eisner ownership, show some ambition over the next couple of months in the transfer window.

With each of Florian Bianchini, Gustavo Caballero, Jacob Brown, and Millenic Alli returning to their parent clubs following the end of their loan spells, Mousinho will be targeting attacking reinforcements this summer, and though the club must financially back the 40-year-old, they ought to consider sanctioning the return of a former winger on a free transfer following their recent release from a division rival.

Portsmouth must consider making a return for former winger Jed Wallace

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Although the window is still in its early stages, and whilst Portsmouth have yet to confirm any additions, the club has been relatively active in the market, with things beginning to pick up at Fratton Park.

Pompey made a bid worth around £2 million for Dundee centre-back Luke Graham, but have reportedly missed out on the 22-year-old to Stoke City, whilst the club have also launched a €1 million (£860k) bid for Gambian midfielder Jesper Ceesay from Turkish side Antalyaspor, but face competition from Saudi Arabian side Al-Fateh.

Elsewhere, Odin Bailey is set to become the club's first addition from the summer on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract at Stockport County, with whom he made 57 appearances across all competitions last campaign, whilst Rocco Shein is set to join him in midfield following his impending £2.1 million move from Norwegian outfit Fredrikstad FK.

Mousinho is looking to further cement Pompey's place in the second tier, and squash any fears of the club being drawn into another relegation battle next time around with some ambitious moves.

Though with their attacking options lacking, the former Burton Albion and Oxford United midfielder should look to add some reinforcements at the top end of the pitch sooner rather than later, and must consider a swoop for out-of-contract winger Jed Wallace.

Wallace, 32, is available as a free agent following his release from West Bromwich Albion recently, and with nearly 400 appearances in the Championship under his belt, he would add a huge amount of experience and quality to the Pompey attack.

The Englishman began his professional career with Portsmouth, making his first-team debut for the club in January 2013, and quickly becoming an important player for Pompey in the third and fourth tier.

In his final season with the club, he would score 14 and grab eight assists in 44 League Two games, prompting Wolves to trigger his £275k release clause to bring him to Molineux.

Since then, Wallace has spent his playing days with both Millwall and West Brom, becoming a regular fixture in the second tier for both clubs before his recent release, as the 32-year-old has managed less than 1,000 minutes of league football in each of the last two campaigns.

However, whilst he has seen a drop-off in terms of his minutes in recent years, Wallace is still an excellent player at Championship level, and, unlikely to command a substantial amount of game time, he would be an excellent option for Mousinho on the right flank.

Predominantly utilised off the right flank throughout almost his entire career, in his best campaign in the Championship to date, the 2019/20 season for Millwall, he hit double digits for both goals (10) and assists (12), and the underlying numbers prove his importance to the Lions side.

As per FotMob, across the season, he created 99 chances, hit 89 successful crosses, and proved his ability off the ball too, by winning the ball back in the final third 41 times. Ten of his 37 shots on target found the back of the net - an excellent conversion rate, as Wallace proved he has the capability of being the main man at this level.

Although that was some six or seven years ago now, looking at his best year with West Brom, the 2022/23 season, Wallace again displayed how influential he can be at this level.

As per FotMob, Wallace created 13 big chances, took almost a team-high 2,241 touches, suggesting a lot of the Baggies' attacks went through him, and again, won the ball back in the final third 43 times, once again his selfless nature off the ball.

Again, whilst his stats have wavered since, this could be down to numerous factors; many of them out of his control.

Had he carried on being the main man at West Brom across the past couple of seasons, his stats would no doubt be prettier than they are, but with Tom Fellows, Samuel Iling-Junior, and Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba as competition, his game time has taken a hit.

With Portsmouth, given their lack of options on the right flank following Bianchini and Caballero's exit in particular, he could become the main man again, as Mousinho should put his trust in the experienced winger to spearhead their attack based on prior evidence.

With bags of experience and quality, on a free transfer as a rotation option, linking back up with former teammate John Swift, and with 121 appearances for the club already, a homecoming ought to be on the cards for Wallace this summer.

John Mousinho must look to improve Portsmouth's attacking options this summer and should consider a swoop for the experienced Jed Wallace

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With the aforementioned Bianchini, Brown, Alli, and Caballero returning to their parent club following the conclusion of their loan spells, Portsmouth are left with few obvious wide attacking options heading into next season.

Josh Murphy, Harvey Blair, Keshi Anderson, and Adrian Segicic are all capable of playing on the flank, though ideally, only Murphy out of those four will be starting out wide for them next season, with Segicic preferred more centrally.

Mousinho will be aware of his need for attacking recruits at Portsmouth, and though Wallace isn't the player he once was, his arrival would boost the quality level throughout the final third and add some much-needed Championship experience.