As expected, Portsmouth boss John Mousinho is already thinking about next season and his transfer plans after achieving promotion to the Championship.
With a strong squad already, Pompey will be expected to hold their own in the second division and if able to get their summer recruitment right, could really push on. Given their dominance in the third tier and bright football that they have played under John Mousinho , they’re potentially a very attractive landing spot for a few players.
One man who is familiar with the club already is Manchester City midfielder Alex Robertson, who would spend the first half of the season at Fratton Park prior to suffering a season-ending thigh injury and ultimately returning to his parent club.
Robertson was however incredibly impressive during his short spell with the club, making 23 League One appearances, 20 of those being starts. He provided obvious quality in the middle of the park and really set the tone for the rest of the midfield.
Despite spending less than four months with the club, the 21-year-old became a fan favourite at Fratton Park due to his work-rate and the fact that he truly bought into the club during his loan spell. He obviously enjoyed his stay, as he was pictured in attendance at games against Shrewsbury Town and Bolton Wanderers towards the end of the season.
With his future up in the air, it is unknown what the youngster’s next move will be. A return to Pompey is by no means off of the cards though, and could be the ideal landing spot given the familiarity and now that the club have made the step-up into the Championship.
Speaking to The News, Mousinho discussed Robinson’s future, which may or may not be under his guidance.
“Robbo (Alex Robertson) will have a lot of options, but he knows what everything is about here.
“I’m not saying Robbo doesn’t want to come back, but he’s never going to say to a fan he’s not – especially when he’s in the away end at Bolton! I don’t know what Manchester City’s plans for him are, but they own the player and are the parent club.
“We’ve got to go through that channel first, but from our relationship with Robbo and the fact he’s been back in the building over the past couple of weeks speaks volumes about him. It speaks volumes about the fact that he’s enjoyed his time here.
“We’ve spoken to him and said if there’s a possibility at some point we can bring him back to the football club, we’d love to make it happen.”
Writer’s View
It would be somewhat of a statement signing if Portsmouth were to gain Robertson’s services next season and he looks ready to make the step-up to the Championship if recovering well from his injury.
He had such a large impact at Fratton Park in such a short space of time and he’ll surely be welcomed back with open arms. It’s unlikely that he’d leave Manchester City permanently, but a loan spell would really help him continue his development.
Whether that be with Portsmouth or elsewhere, the youngster certainly has an exciting career ahead of him and doesn’t seem to be too far off of playing at the top level.
Senior Editor
