'He's gone' - Ex Charlton Athletic starlet placed in League One shop window

Charlton Athletic youth product Jay Mingi has been linked with a summer transfer move to a Championship or League One club after an impressive season in League Two with Colchester United.

The 23-year-old joined the Essex side on a two-year contract in September but Colchester boss Danny Cowley has admitted that he expects to lose the ex Addicks man this summer. He told The News: "Jay has played a lot at right centre-half,  he has been brilliant, he has done fantastic. Last summer, I actually spoke with Colchester’s recruitment guys at the time, Dmitri Halajko and Ross Embleton, and of course, I gave Jay a really good reference.

"We were really pleased to then inherit him when we got to Colchester. But I don’t think we’ll hang onto him, I think he’s gone. I have a feeling there will be some finance coming back to Pompey because he’s done brilliantly for us, he’s far too athletic for League Two.

"We would love to keep him, but my feeling is there are a lot of Championship and League One clubs that are very keen to sign him. Jay has the athleticism to be able to play anywhere on the pitch because he’s an incredible athlete, he has some incredible technical skills that allow him to speed the game up. He can execute at speed."

Cowley went on to tip Mingi to play 'in the Championship and beyond' as he heaped praise on the player, whose sale is set to be a financial boost to Pompey thanks to a sell-on clause. The midfielder made 28 appearances for Colchester this season as the club avoided relegation on the final day of the season.

Mingi only made two senior appearances for Charlton Athletic, both in the EFL Trophy in 2020. He did score in one of those fixtures, against London rivals Leyton Orient, but never cemented a role in the first team before moving to Portsmouth when released by the club in 2021.

The Addicks were reported to have made a bid to bring Mingi back to The Valley in January 2023 as his Portsmouth contract came to its end. One of the player's representatives told The News that the star had 'heavy interest' from League One clubs at that time.