This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Portsmouth are considering Charlton Athletic midfielder Alex Gilbey as an option with Danny Cowley looking to strengthen his midfield options at Fratton Park, as per a Patreon report from journalist Alan Nixon. 

The report also states that Pompey are looking at AFC Wimbledon's Luke McCormick too. 

Gilbey is yet to feature for the Addicks in the league this season with Ben Garner possessing strength in depth when it comes to his midfield options. 

The experienced midfield has featured 66 times since his 2020 arrival, proving to be a top-end League One level midfielder during that time. 

Three of our writers here at FLW have shared their thoughts on this potential move...

 

 

Billy Mulley 

Gilbey is a technical, intelligent midfielder who certainly deserves to be playing more regular football than he is during the start of the campaign. 

That is by no means a dig at Garner at Charlton, instead, that points to the level of competition he is currently facing at The Valley.

If he is to arrive at Fratton Park, it looks like he could possibly walk into a similar kind of position, with Pompey also possessing some excellent midfield options in the likes of Marlon Pack, Joe Morrell, Louis Thompson and Tom Lowery, all whilst Ryan Tunnicliffe is nowhere near the team at present.

I'd personally like to see Gilbey playing regular football once again, however, I am not entirely sure that Portsmouth would be the right destination for him, especially when considering he is 27 and in his seeming prime. 

Marcus Ally 

It is no slight on Gilbey’s ability that the Addicks have a surplus of midfield options, with Ben Garner putting his stamp on the squad this summer.

Gilbey does not suit a patient possession-based style of play and would be a smart addition for Portsmouth.

The 27-year-old is one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the division when onsong, and can contribute with goals from midfield.

Gilbey scored three goals from 5.31 expected goals, as per Wyscout, and could realise his potential under an intelligent manager like Danny Cowley.

Tom Lowery and Marlon Pack have arrived at Fratton Park this summer and competition for places will be intense on the South Coast.

However, Gilbey will back his own ability to become a regular starter quickly if a deal can be reached.

Adam Jones 

It will certainly be interesting to see if Gilbey would even be open to this move with Pompey already having quite a few options in the middle of the park.

Ryan Tunnicliffe looks likely to leave the club before the summer window shuts - but the likes of Marlon Pack and Joe Morrell already have second-tier experience under their belt and though Gilbey recorded 15 appearances in that division for Wigan Athletic, he has spent the majority of his time in the lower tiers.

After being frozen out at The Valley, the midfielder will be keen to be one of the first names on the teamsheet elsewhere and he probably wouldn't get that playing time.

However, his versatility could pay dividends in terms of getting plenty of playing time.

He's exactly the sort of player the south-coast side should be looking at to provide them with more depth with the number of roles he can play - but whether or not he'd be a regular starter remains to be seen.

This is why this potential move could be a better one for Danny Cowley's side and Charlton than for the player at this stage.