Portsmouth boss Kenny Jackett has admitted the stress of Jamal Lowe's proposed transfer to Wigan is weighing heavily on the player's mind, as reported by the Portsmouth News.

The forward was left out of their friendly with Havant and Waterlooville last weekend amidst speculation over his future. Wigan are thought to be moving towards a £3m deal for the forward, but Jackett said last week no fee had been agreed.

This comes after Sky Sports reported the player had handed in a transfer request. It's a messy situation which the former Wolves boss admitted had got to 25-year-old Lowe.

"Definitely (events have weighed heavy on him). That, I would say, was the case towards the end of the week when we were away in Ireland, too," revealed Jackett.

"He’s had a few days off, though, and hopefully that’s cleared his head. Hopefully he understands the situation.

"He does need it settled at some stage - don't we all. It’s one of those situations and we want it settled as well. We want to make the right decision for the club but we want to support the player as well."

Lowe joined Pompey from Hampton and Richmond in 2017 and has since scored 29 times in 119 appearances. Last season he bagged 17 in 55 matches as Pompey narrowly missed out on promotion.

The Verdict

Of course, it's getting to the player, it has to be. He's in the latter stages of a transfer hunt by a team from a higher division and everyone is writing about it. Some of what is written will be the truth, some of it will be half-truth and rumour.

Lowe himself has even moved to argue his case on Twitter recently, something you don't see often in a saga such as this.

The feeling I get is that a move is likely to happen. Portsmouth want a good fee for their golden boy, they've brought him into the full time game and given him a platform on which to showcase his talents. Of course, they want the biggest fee they can get; they have a promotion push of their own to fund.

As for Lowe, hopefully, he can get on with playing football and let the transfer develop naturally, rather than come out of it looking like he's tried to force a move.