How Newcastle United arrival could offer transfer clue to next Portsmouth window moves

And the Blues boss pinpointed Isaac Hayden as a clear example of the options which are available, when it comes to the savvy business carried out before the February 3 deadline for deals.

Pompey will look to the periphery of Championship and Premier League squads, as they focus on the key attacking options Mousinho feel are required to aid his side’s fight for survival.

His squad is clearly very light in that department, with youngster Harvey Blair and Christian Saydee the attacking back-up on the bench against Stoke City on Wednesday night.

The absolute requirement is for those players to be able to come in and hit the ground running, in the intense surroundings of a Championship dogfight. Mousinho feels there are more players out there Pompey can land on loan, in a similar vein to Hayden.

He said: ‘There’s maybe not plenty, but there’s others out there like Isaac that if you can get them are ready to go.

‘He’s ready. He hadn’t played league football since the back of end last year but played 21s football.

‘Isaac has been involved with Newcastle’s 21s for the majority of the season and he’s a player who’s not a kid who knows how to come in and mix it.

‘He won’t be surprised by the level at all and won’t have to make any adjustment in terms of his pace, the amount of games, the travel and what it’s like to be in a first-team environment.

‘He’s been training with a good intensity, as they do up at Newcastle so he’s as ready as someone can be coming in having not played.’

In the case of Hayden, there’s been some natural signs of rustiness as he gets his Pompey career up and running with three appearances so far. Mousinho feels the demands of the midfielder’s game means he should be able to get up to full speed quickly.

He added: ‘I don’t think Isaac’s the type of player who would need to come in and take a huge amount of time to get match fit. If you look at QPR last year, he didn’t take a lot of time to get going at all.

‘He’s also a steady, composed central midfielder, not an explosive winger or centre-forward working for goals. His game is based upon being switched on, intelligent and standing in the right place at the right time. There’s always a physical side to the game, but I expect Isaac to be quick to adjust.’