Danny Cowley outlines deadline day spending plan with Portsmouth ready for busy window finale

And the Pompey boss is adamant his squad will be in a much better place come the summer as a result of Michael Eisner’s support.

Cowley has until 11pm tonight to complete his squad restructuring, as his side bid to get a stuttering play-off bid back on track.

The 43-year-old is also doing that work with long-term squad planning in mind, as he builds for the future.

That naturally puts a focus on permanent signings, which will likely come at a cost at this stage with most players under contract at clubs.

Pompey last week spent £200,000 to bring in Denver Hume from Sunderland, with Cowley likely having to pay to bring in the midfielder and attacking player he’d ideally want to land.

Cowley is adamant however, he will not be held to ransom over deals and will explore loans and short-term contracts if necessary.

However, with chief executive Andy Cullen indicating the owners will loosen the purse strings again for the right player, Cowley is appreciative with a big day of business ahead..

He said: ‘For us, it’s all always the same.

‘It’s my job to tell the board what is good value.

‘It’s their choice to tell me what’s affordable.

‘We had a really good meeting with the owners last week.

‘They were excellent and so supportive.

‘You have to be fair. They have been remarkable for this club.

‘They could have easily made popular decisions and put all the finance in the budget.

‘But they want to create a legacy for this club for the long term.’

After last summer when a massive playing overhaul took place, Cowley is confident the next window won’t bring such a seismic shift in playing resources as a result of the work carried out since he arrived as boss.

A total of 15 players came in and 18 departed then, with 16 loan deals or contracts coming to a close at the end of this term.

Perhaps more revealingly, however, is just seven of the group Cowley is currently working with see their deals up - with options to extend by 12 months made public on four of those players.

Cowley also has 10 players already contracted for the 2022-23 season, with the succession planning he views as vital clearly in place.

He added: ‘We want players who have growth, but there’s a balance to the squad so one or two senior players are important for the group.

‘We know what we’re working towards and I’m excited because I feel we’ll be in a much better position off the back of this window than we were this time last year.

‘We have fewer players coming out of contract and we’re in a good place to push on.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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