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Outgoing defender Sean Raggett has described playing for Portsmouth for five years as "an absolute privilege.”

Pompey confirmed last week that the 31 year-old would leaving at the end of his contract later this summer.

“I feel privileged to have been able to play for this football club for such a long period of time,” he told ���˿��� Radio Solent.

“I kind of worked out for myself I might be leaving a while ago when Tom McIntyre signed, I was thinking this looks like it’ll be my last year here.”

The Blues were crowned winners of League One this campaign, finishing top of the division on 97 points and will return to the second tier of English football for the first time in 12 years.

Raggett originally joined the club on loan from Norwich in 2019 before signing permanently the following summer. He made 239 appearances and scored 17 goals.

His final match for Portsmouth was at home to Wigan in April, after which the squad were presented with their League One winners medals.

“The reaction I got from the fans was pretty unexpected and it made me a little bit emotional. It’ll stay with me forever.”

Pompey came close to promotion in Raggett’s first season, losing in the playoffs on penalties to Oxford United.

They missed out on a place in the top six each of the next three seasons.

The defender outlined some of the worst moments of his five years were the times when managers Kenny Jackett and Danny Cowley were sacked.

“The responsibility of that lies with the players at the time," he said.

"You never want to be responsible for two good guys losing their job.”

After a holiday, Raggett will turn his attention to finding a new club and says he wants to challenge himself "at the highest level possible".

"I’ve played in the Championship and believe I can play in that league but if that doesn’t happen we’ll see where we are," he said.