Newcastle United latest news: Former Magpie Matt Ritchie has reportedly been offered a route out of Portsmouth this summer.
The former Bournemouth winger was soon offered a dream return to Portsmouth - the club he began his long senior career at. Ritchie would return the faith shown in him by Pompey by scoring five goals and registering one assist whilst playing a key role in helping them survive the drop in their first season back in the second-tier.
However, the 35-year-old was left out of the Pompey squad that travelled to Slovakia for a pre-season training camp last month. Ritchie was left back in England to secure himself a move away from the club.
His misery was further compounded when he was left out of Portsmouth’s official squad number reveal with the number 30 shirt he had worn last season instead being handed to goalkeeper Ben Killip. The Portsmouth News report that Ritchie’s exit from Fratton Park is inevitable and that a reduced status in John Mousinho’s squad, and a lack of guaranteed playing time, is the main reason for his expected departure.
Matt Ritchie ‘in talks’ over League One transfer
The News now report that Portsmouth could be prepared to rip up Ritchie’s contract and allow him to leave the club on a free transfer. That stance has reportedly alerted League One side Reading to the winger’s availability.
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The Royals finished seventh in League One last season, narrowly missing out on the play-offs and a shot at returning to the Championship. Former Pompey player Noel Hunt is manager of Reading who are looking to rebuild this summer under new ownership.
Ritchie, much like he was a year ago when he was picked up by Portsmouth, is viewed as an experienced head that can help a youthful Reading squad in their aim to achieve promotion from English football’s third tier. The former Magpies man turns 36 next month but has not trained with Portsmouth during pre-season, meaning he will likely need a few weeks to get himself match fit.
Reading’s season, meanwhile, began at the weekend as they suffered a 2-0 defeat against Lincoln City. The Royals face fellow promotion hopefuls Huddersfield Town at the weekend before coming up against Portsmouth in the first round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday 12 August.
Newcastle United’s defence of that trophy doesn’t get underway until the end of September. The Magpies will join the competition at the Third Round stage because of their European participation.
Eddie Howe’s side will also benefit from being a seeded team in that draw and cannot be paired against any other side that are in European competition. That means they cannot face any of Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest or Liverpool, the side they beat in March’s final, before Round Four of the competition.
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