Portsmouth have been handed hope that Omar Bogle might return to the club, with the striker admitting he would love a return after his loan spell.

He bagged four goals in 13 outings and has admitted that when he moved there on loan in January, his intention was to snare a permanent move. That’s sparked hope he might make a return despite failing to fire them to promotion this season.

Bogle has had a tough time since leaving Grimsby. He emerged there in a blaze of glory, joining from Solihull Moors to fire them back into the Football League, but big moves to Wigan and latterly Cardiff haven’t paid off.

Neither side gave him much game time and he’s got just three Cardiff goals to show after the £1m switch in the summer of 2017. A loan spell with Birmingham in the Championship hasn’t brought success either and there is little wonder he’s keen to make a permanent switch somewhere.

Portsmouth should be very wary of going back in for Bogle. His scoring record isn’t impressive; although he bagged 38 in 83 outings for Grimsby, he has just seven Championship goals across his time with Wigan, Birmingham and Cardiff.

Portsmouth play with a robust striker up front, someone to feed the ball into and get runners around, but they’ve already got Brett Pitman and Ollie Hawkins. Pitman impressed two seasons ago, but failed to nail down a place last campaign. Hawkins, who came from the non-league scene with Dagenham, seemed to be preferred to Bogle as the season wound down.

The 25-year-old would command a fee too and there is just too much risk for Portsmouth to take on. He’s had one decent season outside the non-league scene, bagging 19 in 27 for Grimsby in League Two, but like Mo Eisa who recently moved to Peterborough, he hasn’t done anything of note since emerging from the fourth tier.

If Pompey are to lay out on a striker then they must know they are getting value for money, there can’t be any errors, not after two years of promotion failure. To get the best out of Ronan Curtis and, if he stays, Jamal Lowe, they need a committed hold-up man who can chip in with goals and assists.

On previous evidence, Omar Bogle hasn’t proven he’s the right man for the job.