Fratton faithful send clear message to Portsmouth chairman Michael Eisner ahead of summer transfer window

The Fratton faithful have overwhelmingly called on the club’s American chairman to up the level of finance available to head coach John Mousinho and sporting director Rich Hughes for the upcoming transfer window.

More than 90 per cent of the participants in our end-of-season ‘Big Pompey Survey’ said they would love owners Tornante to dig deeper into their pockets to make the Blues serious promotion contenders next season.

Less than 10 per cent wanted the club to stick rigidly to its self-sustainability model. Meanwhile, 0.6 per cent of those who took part in our poll wanted Pompey to cash in on any prized asset to help fund another first-team overhaul.

The votes cast come amid the backdrop of an eighth-placed finish this season and the realism of a seventh consecutive campaign in League One in 2023-24.

Last month Eisner himself expressed his own frustration with that prospect as the Blues’ slim play-off hopes hit difficulties during the recent run-in. It was then followed by a ‘those fans deserve better’ post on Instagram.

In fairness, the first-team budget has increased incrementally under the 81-year-old’s leadership, while last month Mousinho admitted his resources will rise ahead of the summer, with 9-10 new players targeted.

However, burdened by another season at this level, 48.1 per cent of our readers want ‘a lot more transfer money’ to be made available, while an additional 43.1 per cent feel ‘a bit more extra funding wouldn't go amiss’.

It all boils down to a desire to see Pompey compete with the division’s so called bigger-spenders, with fans growing frustrated with the self-sustainability approach that has seen the Blues miss out on the play-offs for three consecutive seasons.

Indeed, only 8.1 per cent of our poll participants want to retain that approach in its current form, while at no point do supporters want the club to cash in on their best players to create extra finances.

It was an approach that was used last summer, with Marcus Harness allowed to join Ipswich for a fee believed to be around £750,000.

That allowed Pompey to sign Colby Bishop for £500,000 from Accrington. Now Bishop finds himself at the centre of transfer speculation following his 24 goals during his maiden season at Fratton Park.

Do the Fratton faithful believe Mousinho and Hughes will see the funds they’re looking for? Well, the vote is split on that subject, with 39.8 per cent saying they’re not sure. Thirty-two per cent believe the extra money will be made available, while 28.2 per cent said they don’t believe the Eisners will provide sufficient support.

Finally, 80.6 per cent of participants said they wanted to see/hear more from the Eisners going forward.