Surprise reports linking Blackpool with Portsmouth wide man played down despite Mick McCarthy's previous interest

Darren Witcoop, of the Sunday Mirror, has claimed Mick McCarthy is interested in a January move for Portsmouth forward Ronan Curtis, having previously taken a look at the 26-year-old while manager of Cardiff City.

However, those reports have been played down by our sister paper the Portsmouth News, who claim there is no interest from the Seasiders at this point in time.

It would be a surprise to see Blackpool strengthen in the wide areas given they’ve already brought in Morgan Rogers and Josh Bowler this month. Ian Poveda and CJ Hamilton are also on the books.

Bringing in another centre-back is likely to be high on the agenda following on from the loan signing of Charlie Goode earlier this week.

That capture came after Rhys Williams was recalled by Liverpool while key defender Marvin Ekpteta is expected to remain on the sidelines until the end of February as a result of a hamstring injury.

As for Curtis, he was on the Fylde coast last night starting for Portsmouth in their 2-0 win against Fleetwood Town.

However, the Republic of Ireland international, who is out of contract at the end of the season, was forced off with an ankle injury in the 87th minute.

Curtis joined Portsmouth in 2018 from Irish side Derry City and has since made 223 appearances on the South Coast, scoring 56 times in all competitions.

Speaking about his contract uncertainty in December, Curtis told the Portsmouth News: “The club hasn't come to me with anything yet. Whatever they decide to do it’s up to them, whether they want to get rid of me or keep me.

“I’ll leave that to my agent on the side and I’ll just focus on my football because I’m here at Pompey and that’s the main thing.

“We’ll play it by ear. We’ll see what happens and see what the club comes back with, whether they do or if they don’t, but it’s up to themselves.

“If I was to leave I wouldn’t say I’d go with regret. League One is a tough league to get out of with the amount of games you play and the cup competitions you play in. I wouldn’t have regret because I’ve loved my time here at Pompey.

“If it does come to an end in the summer, I can look back and be proud of what I’ve achieved at this club and what I have done for the team.

“If there was a chance to win promotion with Pompey and play in the Championship then I would want to stay.”