According to the Portsmouth official website, defender Jack Whatmough has penned a new deal with the South Coast club. The 22-year-old centre back has committed his future at the club with his new contract running for the next two and a half years.
Whatmough has been at the club since childhood and had signed for the first time with the Pompey when he was just 12. He has risen through the ranks to establish himself as one of the first team players and has cemented a place under manager Kenny Jackett.
The player has made 26 appearances for the South Coast club this season and has held the backline together with his impressive defensive skills and ability to keep the opposition strikers at bay. His contract extension at the club is sure to provide the League One leaders with a huge boost ahead of the business end of the season.
Portsmouth’s defensive unit has done a tremendous job this season and has conceded the second lowest number of goals after Barnsley. It has contributed immensely in helping the Pompey reach the top of the ladder in the League One, and the 22-year-old centre back has had a significant influence on the gritty defensive performance of his side.
The South Coast club are currently at the top of the table in the League One and would definitely look to make it into the second tier of English football at the end of the season. However, they will need all their players to continue performing at the level they have been already been playing to help their side reach the Championship.
It comes as a piece of good news for the Pompey that along with Whatmough, his teammate goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray has also extended his stay at the club until 2021. The Scottish custodian has been a revelation this season and has kept 11 clean sheets so far.
With the contract extension of young players like MacGillivray and Whatmough, Portsmouth are seemingly moving in the right direction for the future. Kenny Jackett will surely be a happy man to have secured the long term future of his defensive aces and would be even more content and proud if he can guide his side into the Championship at the end of this season.
