John Mousinho indicated that Jamal Baptiste’s Pompey future is likely to become apparent.
The Blues boss wants to find out soon whether the defender will win a contract at PO4 after arriving on trial.
Baptiste joined Mousinho’s squad this week, after the highly regarded former West Ham prospect left Manchester City this summer.
The 20-year-old had begun pre-season with another league club before accepting the offer to join PO4. Baptiste followed up a strong performance against Gosport with a 3-0 victory over Hawks, when he combined toughness with some eye-catching passes from the back.
Mousinho stated that there are several scenarios that might unfold for the Londoner this summer, but negotiations are anticipated to begin soon to see how things progress.
He stated, ‘Jamal looked incredibly cool and poised on the ball and shifted the ball a couple of times with both feet.’He appeared technically proficient, as one would expect from someone with his background.
‘Jamal improved his game and got lot more aggressive, so I was quite impressed with his overall performance and thought he was fantastic.
‘He is totally fit and firing. He was on loan last season and has returned ready to play.
“He had a successful trial with another league club before joining us, but the opportunity to advance to Portsmouth enticed him to stay and see what the next week would bring.”In terms of fitness, he appears to be in good shape, and he returned to pre-season with the bit between his teeth, so I am very pleased with him.
‘We don’t know how it will play out or how he will fit into the group, but it’s definitely something we’ll keep an eye on, talk about in the next few days, and see what happens.
‘There are a lot of possibilities for next week in terms of what That appears to be the case, but Jamal has given himself every opportunity to earn money someplace, perhaps here. We’ll see how it turns out, but he gave himself the best shot.
Leave a Reply