Portsmouth will be hoping to move up the Championship table after spending a third season in the second tier.

Pompey, coached by John Mousinho, finished 18th last season to stay in the Championship, but will now attempt to build on their safety record over the previous two seasons and enter the promotion race.

To accomplish this, the South Coast outfit will need to be busy during the summer transfer window, bringing quality signings in a variety of categories to ensure they are well-equipped to face the 46-game grind of a season.

Portsmouth have made three acquisitions thus far, with Odin Bailey joining on a free transfer from Stockport County, teenage attacker Eoin Kenny joining from Dundalk FC, and midfielder Rocco Shein joining permanently from Norwegian club Fredrikstad FK.

Portsmouth have recently been connected with reinforcing their backline, particularly at full-back, with Sky Sports reporting that both Portsmouth and Blackburn Rovers were interested in loaning West Brom defender Alfie Gilchrist.

The former Sheffield United player could be allowed to leave The Hawthorns after struggling for game time, with the 22-year-old appearing just 13 times during the 2025-26 season.

However, an update on Pompey’s pursuit of Gilchrist has now emerged, which will undoubtedly pique the curiosity of those with ties to Blackburn.

Portsmouth ruled out of the Alfie Gilchrist race

The pendulum has swung quickly in the race for Alfie Gilchrist, with BBC South TV and Radio Sports Reporter Andrew Moon providing an update on Pompey’s pursuit of the West Brom player.

Moon has confirmed on his X account that Portsmouth are no longer in the running to sign the versatile defender, contradicting Sky Sports’ report from last evening.

Moon wrote on X that “#Pompey are not looking to sign Alfie Gilchrist despite the recent reports.”

This transfer update may surprise some Portsmouth fans, with the prospective arrival of Gilchrist bound to spark some hope at Fratton Park given his prior connections to Chelsea and impressive Championship campaign at Bramall Lane with Sheffield United.

But Pompey will now move on to other targets, as Mousinho is clearly not interested in adding the 22-year-old to his squad ahead of next season.

Portsmouth’s Alfie Gilchrist development puts Blackburn Rovers in the driving seat.

While it appeared that it would be a two-team battle to sign Alfie Gilchrist on loan, Portsmouth’s withdrawal puts Blackburn Rovers in a strong position to complete the deal.

Despite his recent struggles at West Brom, Gilchrist can still be a reliable asset at Championship level, with his versatility proving to be a huge advantage over the course of such a demanding season, with Gilchrist able to play across the back four, appearing for Albion at right and left-back, as well as in the centre of defence.

While the reason for Pompey’s lack of interest in Gilchrist has not been revealed, some supporters will be disappointed to learn of this, especially because Portsmouth may require additional right-back reinforcements if the highly rated Terry Devlin is sold.

That would leave Zak Swanson and Jordan Williams as John Mousinho’s only choices, so adding someone of Gilchrist’s ability would have been extremely beneficial.

However, the deal is now unlikely to go through, since Portsmouth is looking at alternative targets who can provide a better service than Gilchrist.

Pompey has just over four weeks till the start of the 2026-27 season, so time is running out to complete these signings.