Greg Halford faced up to the reality of his Pompey exit and admitted: It will be hard to say goodbye.
The Blues star has spoken out on his future, with a move away from Fratton Park looking inevitable in the wake of his team’s financial woes.
Nottingham Forest, Leeds and Birmingham are all vying for Halford’s services, as clubs line up to land a bargain in the Pompey fire sale.
The 27-year-old spoke of how it will be a wrench to leave the fans he has built a strong relationship with since first arriving in 2010.
Halford has not given up hope a savour could emerge to allow him and other in-demand stars such as David Norris, Joel Ward and Luke Varney to remain at the club.
He insisted an exit from Pompey is not on the cards in the coming days, but the harsh reality is he will have to be cashed in.
Halford said: ‘There is going to be a turnaround and I’m pretty sure the administrator will be moving the majority of us out, including myself.
‘You never know, though. Someone could sign a cheque tomorrow and everything will be dandy.
‘You have to be open-minded in these situations.
‘There are a lot of rumours and I get a lot of tweets asking me to go here, there and everywhere.
‘It’s nice to have fans at other clubs who appreciate me and want me to sign for their clubs.
‘But there is nothing concrete at the minute and I have no plans to talk to other clubs at the moment.
‘It will be hard if it does come to leaving.
‘I’ve built more of a rapport with Pompey fans than any other fans I’ve played for in my career.’
The defender spoke of his honour at playing for Pompey when he first joined on loan from Wolves two years ago.
He insisted that is a sentiment he still stands by after 77 appearances in a royal blue shirt.
Halford has no doubt he will be leaving the best fans in the country when his expected departure is completed.
He said ‘It’s been tough from day one – but I’ve loved every minute.
‘From the day I arrived at Millwall, when I first signed, I said it was an honour to play for this club. I still stand by that.
‘There has probably been more downs than ups but we have always stuck together.
‘It’s a proper club and everyone mixes in and sticks together.
‘I’ve built a relationship with the fans.
‘I don’t know why that is. You either love or hate my style of football.
‘Some people perceive it as lazy, some perceive it as laid back.
‘Pompey fans have perceived it as being confident and have warmed to me – and I’ve definitely warmed to them.
‘This is the closest club to my heart, along with Colchester, where I came through the ranks.
‘One thing’s for sure. There aren’t any better fans in the country.’
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