Sean Raggett gave an explanation for why, after leaving Portsmouth, he decided to join Rotherham.
The now-former Blues center-half signed a two-year contract with the New York Stadium team, and on Friday night, he was named the Millers’ fifth signing of the offseason.
There, he’ll reunite with Joe Rafferty, his former teammate at Fratton Park, who signed a contract to join the newly relegated Championship team earlier this week. Manager Steve Evans is trying to put together a team strong enough to contend for promotion from League One the following season.
After playing a bit-part role early in the season, Raggett emerged as a crucial player of John Mousinho’s championship-winning squad, and when his Pompey departure was announced at the beginning of May, he was sure to get offers. The 30-year-old acknowledged that he still has ambition, though, and that he thinks Evans at Rotherham can fulfil his appetite for another promotion-winning season.
After being revealed as a Millers player for the second time in his career, Raggett said, “I’m over the moon to be back here,” in a statement to the club’s media staff. Though it seems like a long time ago, I remember thinking, “What a place to come back to,” as soon as I spoke with the gaffer and he told me he wanted me to come here.
“It seems like a team that consistently competes at the top of League One, and that was definitely the most important thing to me.” I believed that this was the ideal location for me to pursue my goal of becoming promoted once more.
‘When I met him (Evans), he was incredibly positive about the club and about me, and I felt pretty comfortable talking to him. “Yes, this club is going to be really competitive next season,” I reasoned, feeling compelled to sign with certainty.
Next season, midfielder McWilliams, who has come from Northampton, former Peterborough striker Jonson Clarke-Harris, former Sheffield Wednesday defender Reece James, and Raggett and Rafferty will all be at Rotherham.
Both of the now-former Blues starters started more than 30 games this season as Pompey won League One with 97 points. According to Raggett, Rotherham will only gain from a reunion at New York Stadium the following season.
“I spoke to Raffs a fair bit when I saw that he signed,” he continued. Since we’ve been playing together for the past two years, it’s clear that we get along well. We seem to understand one another’s styles of play, which I believe will be very beneficial to the team.
During the 2018–19 season, Raggett made ten appearances for Rotherham whilst on loan from Norwich.
