Portsmouth FC to allow January exit for 23-year-old | OneFootball

The defender hasn't played at all for Pompey since the first month of the season.

Portsmouth will allow Ryley Towler to leave Fratton Park in January despite their current availability issues at centre-back.

Pompey haven't exactly been short of injury issues this season, with the middle of defence being a hotspot of their problems.

Their desired first-choice centre-half pairing - Regan Poole and Conor Shaughnessy - haven't played together at all this season, with an early reliance being put on Towler to step in, and more recently, Tom McIntyre.

The hamstring injury which Poole picked up versus Norwich City last week means that both he and Shaughnessy are currently unavailable. Even still, manager John Mousinho elected to use captain and natural central midfielder Marlon Pack alongside McIntyre rather than Towler.

The 23-year-old hasn't made an appearance since the end of August, and is now a potential candidate to leave the club in the new year.

Portsmouth exit to be allowed for Ryley Towler

Mousinho has said that a loan move for Towler is potentially on the cards in January, despite the current lack of depth in his position.

"Quite possibly," said the Portsmouth manager on the prospect of the 23-year-old leaving in the winter window, via The News.

"I think Ryley needs the minutes, but right now he’s needed in and around the squad. That’s particularly with the situation we find ourselves in with centre-halves at the minute.

"Ryley’s kept himself at it really well every day and has been a lot closer than he may have imagined. When you’re not in the side or starting games you can think you’re not in the conversation or close, but Ryley has been close.

"It’s something we keep an eye on."

Poole's hamstring injury isn't set to keep him out for too much longer, as there is a small chance that he will be available to face Coventry City this weekend.

As for Shaughnessy, he should be available again around the new year, but Mousinho has said that he wants to add more central defenders in the upcoming transfer window.

Ibane Bowat has also struggled to stay healthy. He is yet to make a first-team appearance for the club.

Defensive strengthening is a must in January for Pompey

If their last match against Derby County (a 4-0 defeat at Pride Park) was anything to go by, there's certainly work to be done on getting this team to be better at keeping the ball out of their net.

In fairness to Portsmouth, they haven't been that leaky all season, but having a good defence gives them the chance to pick up points in most games, especially with quality players like Colby Bishop and Josh Murphy up top.

They have been linked with Australian international Hayden Matthews, who they wanted in the summer. If he can help them be more resilient at the back, then it's certainly a move that they need to try and make.