Portsmouth FC backed to sign 'incredible' Luton Town star - but it may be 'out of their hands' | OneFootball

FLW's Pompey Fan Pundit wants Millenic Alli to remain in blue beyond this season

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

After Millenic Alli’s electric start to life at Portsmouth, there is belief the club should already be doing everything they can to sign him permanently from Luton Town in the summer, but it might be a bit tricky.

The 25-year-old arrived on loan for the remainder of 25/26 after falling out of favour at Kenilworth Road, where he failed to make the team selection for his last five games in Bedfordshire.

Given the Hatters paid a reported £1.5m to sign him from Exeter City in January 2025, it’s not just the potential price tag that could scupper a future move for John Mousinho’s side.

Portsmouth FC should '100%' already be pushing for permanent Millenic Alli signing

FLW’s Portsmouth Fan Pundit, Miltos Ioannidis, has no doubt Pompey should be laying the foundations for a permanent transfer as soon as possible if they aren't already.

He told FLW, "100%, 100% we should, and I think that context is very important here because there already has been a lot of talk as to why we don’t hold a buy option for Millenic Alli."

The Pompey fan feels the structure of the original deal says much more about Luton’s situation than Pompey’s intentions, adding, "In Luton, you have a League One club that loaned out one of their players to a Championship club because they thought he wasn’t suitable to them. But Luton, at the same time, are a club looking to get promoted.

"They [Luton] wouldn’t want to give a fellow Championship club the opportunity - if they get promoted, of course. If we stay up, hopefully we do, the opportunity to sign one of their assets. We can make all sorts of different assumptions, but I think that some things are maybe out of Pompey’s hands as to why we don’t hold a buy option."

Luton are currently six points off the League One playoff places in seventh, and Milton's words suggest that they don't want to hand a potential league rival a cheap route to one of their attackers.

Luton Town must be regretting decision to send 'tremendous' Millenic Alli to Portsmouth

What has pushed this debate to the forefront is just how quickly Alli has asserted himself at Fratton Park. In just four games, the former Halifax Town man has managed to grab himself one goal and an assist.

The Irishman did arrive with Championship experience from last season and a reputation for being one of the few bright sparks in a difficult campaign for Luton, which is perhaps why John Mousinho was so keen to bring him in.

Milton then continued his assessment by predicting competition for when the injured Josh Murphy finally comes back. "The way Millenic Alli has been playing, has been absolutely tremendous. I never thought i’d be saying this after Murphy got injured, but he’s got serious competition if he wants to get back in that starting lineup."

The Fan Pundit still rates Murphy extremely highly but believes Alli’s form changes the dynamic on the left-wing for Pompey, claiming, "I think Murphy is class, the best player we have in our squad, but given his injury track record and how well Alli has been playing, it’s a no-brainer that we pursue a deal for him in the summer.

"And it’s finally good to have some depth in that position. Millenic Alli has been incredible, and the way he’s been going, there’s only one thing that’s looking likely - and that’s us giving absolutely everything we have in order to sign him in the summer."

Regardless of whether Alli wasn't fancied this season at Luton or not, the third-tier club must either be regretting their decision every time Alli gives a good account of himself, or be happy he's upping his price-tag for a potential sale.

Why Portsmouth need to 'accelerate' Millenic Alli signing process from Luton Town

Some might argue it is still early days, but Milton thinks the context of Alli’s rise in Hampshire matters as much as the number of appearances.

"I know it’s only been like four games he’s played in, but think about what he’s managed in this short space of time, especially if you consider the fact he’s jumped from being on the bench of a League One team to starting every game in the Championship."

In the four games Alli has played, which included the South Coast derby, Portsmouth are unbeaten - and the winger has played at least 73' minutes in each of them.

Alongside Ebou Adams, who was bought from Derby County last month - and also only played the same four games - these two seem to be the main ones behind the club's upturn in form. On Alli specifically, even Mousinho has been surprised with the impact the attacker has made, saying as much in an interview with The News. With this in mind, Milton is clear that Portsmouth should not wait until the end of the season to explore a permanent deal.

“If we can do something from now in order to accelerate this process then that will be incredible,” he concluded, keen for Pompey to get ahead of any potential competition that might emerge if Alli continues to shine in the Championship.