Portsmouth manager Kenny Jackett says he is still hopeful of signing on-loan Birmingham City defender Steve Seddon on a permanent basis when the transfer window reopens at the end of the season.

Seddon originally joined Pompey on-loan in January, and has since gone on to make himself a key figure in Jackett's side, helping them to fourth in the current League One standings, two points adrift of automatic promotion.

Along with Seddon, Pompey have three other players on loan at Fratton Park, in the shape of Norwich defender Sean Raggett, and midfield duo Ross McCrorie and Cameron McGeehan, who have joined from Rangers and Barnsley respectively, and it seems Jackett is still hopeful of keeping the entire quartet at the club long-term.

Asked by The Portsmouth News about the possibility of an extended stay at the club for Seddon, Jackett responded by saying: "We’ll see. All of the loans have made good impressions and are committed to completing the season, should we be allowed.

"Where that goes with their parent clubs is in the bigger picture. We will have to wait and see. I like all four of them and they’ve all done well.

"I do think they’ve shown an appetite to play for Portsmouth which is a big thing."

Jackett is however, well aware of the impact that the current suspension of the football season - and the financial implications that brings - could have on the prospects of those players going forward, as he added: "Where their futures lie in terms of next season is very difficult to tell. For us, we have to wait and see what the financial landscape looks like moving forward.

"For all the parent clubs of those players I’m sure they will be saying the same, too."

Seddon, who has made just five senior appearances for Birmingham since graduating from their academy in 2018, has just over a year remaining on his current contract with the Championship club, securing his future at St Andrew's until the end of next season.

The Verdict

This is an interesting one.

You can see why Jackett would be keen to keep Seddon and co. at Portsmouth, given the impact they have made during the time at Fratton Park so far.

However, it does seem pretty clear that the current uncertainty surrounding football - not least with regards to transfers and contracts - means that agreeing such deals may not be easy.

Even so, it is encouraging to see that Portsmouth are not giving up hope on those deals just yet, which does feel like something of a statement of intent from the League One promotion hopefuls.