Portsmouth are growing more optimistic that a move for Abu Kamara is more likely than not, with negotiations now having progressed on a long-awaited return for a player the club believe could solve a problem position.
The right wing has been an issue for Portsmouth, and that is one reason this possibility has become so appealing. Abu Kamara was excellent during the season when Pompey won League One, and fans still remember him for terrorising defenders and producing brilliant goals and assists.
Two years ago, Hull City bought Kamara for £4.5million, but Portsmouth were not in the market this summer to pay around £3million for him. That makes the current mood around the deal significant: if the move can now be struck on better terms, it would represent a major piece of business for a club that still knows exactly what the player can offer.
Why Portsmouth still want Abu Kamara
The attraction is easy to understand. Portsmouth have a clear need on the right side, and Kamara is not a mystery to them. He was one of the best players in the third tier during that League One title season, and that kind of familiarity matters when a club is trying to strengthen quickly.
There is always a football saying that you should never go back, and there is some truth in that. But this is also the sort of move that makes sense when a manager knows a player’s strengths and believes he can reproduce them in the right setting.
John Mousinho was previously able to get the best out of Kamara, and that history gives Portsmouth confidence. The club would not be buying a guess. They would be buying a player they know can hurt defenders, stretch games and offer real quality in the final third.
Hull City, Portsmouth and the price question
For Hull City, the key issue is whether they can recover anything close to the money they paid. The reported £4.4.5million outlay was built around potential and promise, but last season brought only limited impact in the Championship and one loan spell that was heavily disrupted by injury.
That is why the shape of any deal matters so much now. Portsmouth were never likely to return at the same level of fee, and a lower figure would suit their needs far better. The suggestion is that a deal could still be done for a few million, which would turn this from a nostalgic idea into a realistic transfer.
For Portsmouth, this is about more than sentiment. They need solutions in areas that held them back last season, and Kamara offers a direct answer on the right wing. For Hull, it is about deciding how much value remains in a player who has already shown he can thrive at Fratton Park.
The story now is whether optimism turns into completion. At this stage, the feeling around Portsmouth is that the move is more likely than not, and if that proves right, it would be one of the more notable return deals of the summer.
