Portsmouth manager John Mousinho is targeting two more signings and expects players to leave the Championship club in the final days of the 2024/25 summer transfer window.
Pompey were promoted to the Championship as League One champions last season. However, Mousinho and the South Coast outfit have worked on developing the squad over the summer. As a result, 12 new players arrived at Fratton Park this summer, per Transfermarkt.
Several new players have also been heavily involved in first-team action so far. New signings Andre Dozzell and Jordan Willams have started in Pompey’s opening three Championship fixtures, as reported by Whoscored.
Although Mousinho and Portsmouth have recruited heavily this summer, they are not finished yet. The club are expected to announce a long deal for Brighton striker Mark O’Mahony after the EFL Cup clash against Crawley Town this Tuesday.
However, even more signings could arrive at Fratton Park before the window ends too. When speaking to the News about Pompey’s aspirations in the final days of the transfer window, Mousinho explained that the club would keep pursuing targets – especially younger players, like O’Mahoney, from the Premier League.
“‘Yes, we will be busy this week. It will probably be two more signings, but we’ll keep an eye on that as the week goes on.
“What’s going to be interesting after Saturday is seeing what the Premier League do with under-21s who have maybe been in squads, but there are now a few players coming back.
‘Particularly with the Carabao Cup second round about to take place, there has been a bit of hesitancy about letting any players go, so we’ll see what that looks like after Tuesday – and I think we’ll have a busy end of the transfer window.
With two more potential arrivals, Portsmouth may need to offload players to strike a balance in the squad. The News also reported that Anthony Scully, Ben Stevenson and Gavin Whyte could leave the club. Yet Mousinho said he is still looking at forming the right squad based on injuries and new signings ahead of the upcoming Championship fixture against Sunderland on Saturday.
‘I’m not sure if many will go, that is something we need to have a look at based on injury returns, because, at the minute, we’ve only got 19-20 fit pros to choose from.
‘So that’s going to be something we have to wait on, we can’t make ourselves weaker for the Sunderland game.”
Writer’s View
Portsmouth have had a strong summer window and new players have already been entrusted to add quality and experience to the first team. Mousinho has introduced most of his new signings into the squad, with players like Dozzell and Williams playing leading roles. However, players like Matt Ritchie and Elias Sørensen, who struck a debut goal in the 3-3 draw at Leeds, may become more influential as the season progresses.
But balance is key. Embedding many new players and allowing others to leave is now the challenge for Mousinho before August 30. If Pompey achieves their target of getting two new signings over the line, existing players must be allowed to leave for further playing opportunities. It’s a bit of a race against time at Pompey and more change could be on the horizon in the coming week. For Mousinho though, this will put the squad in a strong position to challenge in the Championship.
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