LATEST: Portsmouth move to tie down key assets as standing of champions soar

Pompey will move to secure the futures of their big contracted assets this summer.

Blues boss John Mousinho believes it’s important to extend the deals of his key squad players to ward off potential suitors.

The standing of the Pompey squad has soared off the back of storming to the League One title this term, across a memorable campaign.

Inevitably that means eyes are on some of the stars who delivered Championship football at the seventh time of asking.

Regan Poole has a year remaining on his existing deal, after a season in which he produced outstanding form before his campaign was curtailed by injury

Kusini Yengi has a year left on his deal with a club option to extend by 12 months, after a maiden campaign in English football in which his standing soared.

It’s a similar story for top scorer Colby Bishop and defender Conor Shaughnessy, who is regarded as one of his team’s outstanding performers this season.

Mousinho made it clear securing the futures of his big performers is going to be a key issue this summer.

He said: ‘Obviously for the players we want to keep at the club long term it is important.

‘It protects the football club, because as you go up the levels the financial clout of other clubs in terms of what they can do to prise players away in their last years becomes even more relevant.

Despite his clear opinion on the need to tie down the futures of Pompey key assets, Mousinho explained the finer details of extending deals is not an area he’ll get involved in.

The Blues boss explained he will have an influence on the decisions being made, but it’s down to sporting director Rich Hughes, chief operations officer Tony Brown and chief executive Andy Cullen to conduct the business.

Mousinho added: ‘Thankfully for me it’s not something I have to think about, but I’m sure the football club will (hold talks) with the assets.

‘That’s part of the strategy of the football club to have the sporting director in place to do that.

‘That’s Rich (Hughes) working alongside Tony (Brown) and Andy (Cullen, making sure all of those things are protected for the football club.

‘I would certainly have an input on that if asked, but if the head coach starts making decisions and getting involved with that it’s when you start moving away from where we are as a club, and what we feel is the best model going forward for the club.’

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