'Definitely a market that we like' - Portsmouth boss drops transfer hint that could lead to further Fratton Park arrivals

After plucking Fratton favourite Kusini Yengi from Western Sydney Wanderers last summer, the Blues know the benefits of keeping tabs on what the home of the Socceroos has to offer.

That admiration prompted a bid for Standard Liege midfielder Aiden O’Neill this summer - a player who came under the Pompey microscope 12 months ago as he played a starring role for Melbourne City.

It’s also no coincidence that Middlesbrough’s Sammy Silvera will spend the forthcoming season at PO4, with the winger someone else the Blues were pursuing before his reported £500,000 move to the Riverside was completed last July.

Sporting director Rich Hughes told The News this week that Pompey hope to conclude 5-6 more signings before the transfer window closes on September 30.

But could Mousinho’s latest admission be a pointer towards another A-League star making Fratton Park his home in the near future?

Speaking from Pompey’s training camp in Croatia, he said: ‘We obviously did a bit of work in Australia last year. 

‘I know Sammy came over to Middlesbrough, but Sammy was a player we looked at last year and we did like the A-League. We really liked the market, we think there’s plenty of under-valued players over there and we think we got one of them in Kusini. 

‘So that’s definitely one area we look at.’

Yengi has adapted well to English football after arriving at Fratton Park as a relative unknown. The striker bagged nine goals from 26 league appearances - of which just seven came as starts -  as the Blues secured the League One crown. Meanwhile, he added to his popularity by adding five goals in four cup competitions as he made light of the transition.

There’s a hope Silvera will have the same impact, even though he’s entering his second full season in the EFL. And there’s no reason why others can’t follow suit.

Mousinho added: ‘I think it (the A League) is an emerging league, and although it’s a bit of a generalisation, Australia, in terms of their sport, seem to produce really athletic players.

‘They’ve certainly got a different lifestyle to us over here, I don’t know if that contributes to it, but we’ve had a look at that market, seen some really good athletes and seen some really good footballers. 

‘Football's popularity over there is growing with increased investment in the A League. A bit like the MLS, I suppose, the more money, the more infrastructure, the more coaches that go over there (the better).

‘There’s been an influx of English coaches over there as well, European coaches, so I suppose that’s maybe changed the way the A-League thinks about football or plays football and maybe it’s suited more to the English league.

‘It’s definitely a market that we like.’