John Mousinho is adamant Matt Macey’s Pompey departure is a choice that benefits all parties.
And the Blues manager expects the keeper to find a new home ‘near the upper end of League One’ next season.
Macey was among the 10 names told they wouldn’t be having their contracts renewed, as they come to a close this summer.
The 29-year-old was recruited in the January window, when leaving Premier League Luton Town in September following a two-year stint at Kenilworth Road.
It provided Pompey with reliable backup after Ryan Schofield struggled in his first few appearances after joining the club in the summer.
With Will Norris dominating the league in the second part of the 2022-23 season, Macey was never called upon to add to his 21 appearances.
But his form at the time demonstrated the former Arsenal player’s ability, and there was a clamour for his permanent signing before the Norris deal was completed.
Mousinho explained Pompey’s logic behind the Macey decision, and there is little doubt that he can be an operator pushing for promotion to the Championship next season.
He stated: “With Matt, both sides are pretty happy with the decision.”
‘In terms of Matt, I believe if we had offered him something as a back-up keeper, I think it’s something that he would have turned down.
‘He wants to be number one somewhere, and I believe he can be.
‘We may be biassed, but we believe he is more than capable of competing at the highest level of League One. He’s going to start his own football club.
‘He played towards the end of last season and provided us with steadiness. Then we knew if anything happened to Will, he had given us an option at the end of the year.
So we’ll do everything we can to make sure Matt plays regular football next season. It’s something he hasn’t had in a while, so having it is quite essential to him.
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