Portsmouth boss John Mousinho has disregarded rumours about Ryan Tunnicliffe’s exclusion from the squad in quotes provided by The News (Portsmouth).
After being left out of the match-day team for Pompey’s clash with Accrington last weekend, Mousinho has denied a contract clause that could have triggered an extension for the 30-year-old exists.
Who Is Ryan Tunnicliffe?
The central midfielder joined the Southcoast club two seasons ago after previous Premier League and Championship spells with Fulham, Millwall and Luton. Making 30 appearances this season with 23 of them being from starts, the former Manchester United man hasn’t played as regular as expected.
Despite his limited time on the pitch, Tunnicliffe has a goal and three assists on the season while also serving as a good leader for the League One side.
What Contract Clause?
Rumours had started to come to light of an appearance clause that would have triggered a one-year contract extension if the midfielder met it. Therefore when left out of the team for Portsmouth’s 1-0 victory on Saturday, two and two got put together.
However, head coach Mousinho has dismissed any contract clause existing, explaining his omission was down to seeing enough of the player as they prepare for next season.
Are His Days At Pompey Numbered?
With the Englishmen’s contract expiring at the end of the season, it certainly looks like Tunnicliffe’s time as a Pompey could be coming to an end. Portsmouth is currently in a situation where they have nothing to play for, so when the manager states he is focused on building towards next season, being excluded is not a promising look.
What Was Said:
Speaking to The News, Mousinho explained Tunnicliffe’s situation.
“I can categorically deny that (an appearance triggers a new deal), it’s not the reason he was left out.
“I spoke to him last week about it and we’ve seen all we need to see from Ryan, in order to make decisions on his future from the 20 games he’s played since I arrived. So it’s got nothing to do with contracts.
“It was probably one of the more difficult conversations for me in my time here, because he’s been so good. It was literally a case of saying, though we won’t be able to do it across the board because we haven’t got the bodies, most of the players playing are either definitely here next year or we need to have a look at.”
Writer’s View
With Pompey’s season already over, I like how Mousinho is using the last few games to get a conclusion of some of his players for next year.
It seems the boss wants to get a good look at everyone before decisions are made over the summer and he believes he saw enough of the midfielder. While that’s not a great look when on an expiring contract, due to Tunnicliffe’s experience, don’t count out a return for next season.
