League One Portsmouth are pushing for a loan move for Chelsea midfielder Tino Anjorin, according to reports from Bobby Vincent at football.london.
John Mousinho’s side have been very active in the transfer market this summer, as the former Oxford coach tries to take Pompey back to the Championship, and the 37-year-old is targeting a move for Anjorin, who has two years left on his contract at Chelsea and is clearly not part of Mauricio Pochettino’s plans at present.
What’s Been Said?
Portsmouth are facing competition for the young midfielder, with the 21-year-old attracting interest from clubs across England, France, Germany, Holland, Scotland and Denmark, so a move to the south coast will not be easy for Pompey to pull off. Anjorin spent the last year and a half at Championship side Huddersfield Town but only made 17 appearances across two loan spells due to injury problems. He scored three times across his loan period with the Terriers, but it remains to be seen whether the former England U20 international can overcome his injuries.
During an interview with The Athletic last year, Anjorin, who is a Cobham graduate, is inspired by those who have come through the Chelsea academy and have gone on to play for the club and hopes he can play one day.
“I have always watched all the former youth players at Chelsea, as well as the other ones in the team, for inspiration.” Anjorin described in his interview.
The midfielder also cited that former midfielder and now AC Milan maestro Ruben Loftus-Cheek was his main inspiration during their time together at the club, with Loftus-Cheek also having injury problems similar to what Tino has gone through.
“Ruben is an inspiration,” Anjorin said. “What he has gone through is similar to me. I want to overcome it and be a role model for the people below me.
“Touch wood, I want to say the injuries and the issues I’ve been having up till now will mean that I have got them out of the way at the start so I can be free of them for the rest of my playing days.”
An Exciting Transfer Window For Pompey
If Portsmouth do win the race for Anjorin, it would be another exciting addition in what has been one of the most ambitious summer windows for Portsmouth, having added solid additions to the squad with the likes of Will Norris, Jack Sparkes and Gavin Whyte arriving from the likes of Burnley, Exeter City and Cardiff City respectively. Pompey also made some exciting young additions to the squad. Terry Devlin joined from Glentoran and was one of the hottest prospects in Irish football before his summer move, whilst the capture of 24-year-old Kusini Yengi from Australian A-League Side Western Sydney Wanderers shows the ambition of Portsmouth as they look to return to the Championship. If they can get Tino Anjorin over the line, it is another exciting attacking option bolstering the ranks, especially if Mousinho can keep him fit.
Writer’s View
Tino Anjorin would be an intriguing option for John Mousinho’s Pompey if they can pull it off. The 21-year-old showed glimpses of talent whilst on loan at Huddersfield and played his part in their run to the Championship play-off final a couple of seasons ago. The only concern I would have over the move would be due to his injury problems. To only play 17 games across two loan spells at Huddersfield and only nine games when he was on loan at Lokomotiv Moscow in Russia would be a cause of concern. Are Portsmouth willing to take the risk on a player who could start well and then get hampered by another injury?
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