Portsmouth won't want to merely settle for League One football again next season.

Instead, Danny Cowley will be drilling it into his troops that they need to go one better and seal a promotion back into the Championship. That will involve plenty of hard work and some shrewd transfer dealings this summer.

With a wealth of interest in some of their better players though, they may need to also focus on replacing some of their own rather than just improving the team they already have. Marcus Harness for example might end up at Swansea the way the interest in him is going.

 

 

Pompey then will need to look to complete some good business of their own - and one name that could be worth a try is that of Izzy Brown, who is set to leave Preston on a free transfer.

The 25-year-old has had some horrid luck with injuries over the last few seasons but there is certainly a player in there somewhere. Before he even had chance to really kick a ball for the Lilywhites last season, he suffered another setback that ruled him out for the entirety of the season.

Brown is now back towards full health - and if he can be kept that way, then he really could live up to his potential and be a solid addition to most squads in the EFL.

He certainly deserves another chance. He's proven at Huddersfield and Rotherham in past spells that he can frequently help out in front of goal in the Championship, with seven goal contributions in 17 starts for the Millers and then a further 5 in 12 for the Terriers.

Get Brown in the team and playing regularly then and he has proven he can do well in the second tier - so a drop down to the third division could get even more out of him. On a free transfer too, he could be worth a gamble and age remains on his side, as he is only in the middle of his twenties.

If Danny Cowley can get him back to his best, then it could be a really shrewd bit of business by the club.