After what was a rather sublime season in the third tier, which saw Portsmouth go up as champions, John Mousinho’s side will be playing in the second tier for the first time since the 2011/12 season when everything kicks off in August.
They’ll be expected to be competitive, and take the step-up in their stride. After displaying their qualities in the third tier, it’s now all about translating that to the Championship.
Despite there being one or two surprise omissions from their retained list, Mousinho has decided to keep the majority of his squad. That being said, they have also lost some important players who were on loan with the club, the likes of Abu Kamara, Myles Peart-Harris and Alex Robertson all returning to their parent clubs.
Thus, additions are needed if Pompey want to further progress next term and not immediately return to League One. It seems as if there is a distinct plan in place for the transfer window despite a current lack of signings.
We’ve already seen over the last year or so that the League One title winners have looked at brining in emerging talent and that doesn’t seem to be any different as they step up to the Championship.
The South Coast side have been linked with moves for both Josh Murphy and Harrison Burrows recently, the latter perfectly epitomising their current strategy although they could be priced out of a move according to The News.
Nonetheless, a clear plan is in place for how Mousinho and his recruitment team are set to go about their business this summer. Speaking to The News, chief executive Andy Cullen highlighted the current direction that the club plan to go in.
“Our focus continues to be on assets. Our strategy is about bringing young first-team ready talent into the building. It served us well last year and that will be prioritised for most of our recruitment strategy next season as well.
“We have to have a squad to be at a level – we can’t have any passengers and any people making up the numbers.”
“That’s why we had to make at the end of last season, when looking at the squad, some very, very tough decisions in terms of the retained released side of things. Sometimes the desire to consistently improve overcomes sentiment, which is a very easy emotion to settle on after promotion.
“Everybody is on board with that across the football club – we have some great things happening to build on that success last season.”
Writer’s View
Although their first goal next term will purely be about preserving their Championship status, Portsmouth will want to kick on and be competitive in England’s second tier. With a strong core of their squad, they can do just that, but some improvements are needed.
Their current transfer strategy is one that has worked for them in the past but don’t be surprised to see the club bringing in one or two experienced heads as well.
Acquiring a good blend of experience and up-and-coming talent could see Pompey excel in the second tier.
