League One news: Portsmouth’s rivals land Chelsea forward as Blackpool owner issues statement

The League One season is already hotting up as Portsmouth look to build on what has been a promising start to the campaign.

Saturday’s 3-1 home win against Peterborough United means John Mousinho’s men remain unbeaten in their first six games as they have claimed three wins and three draws to sit in the play-off places as the first international break of the season arrives.

The action may have stopped for the majority of clubs across the division but there are still plenty of talking points from around League One as the focus switches to the international fixtures for the next fortnight.

Blackpool owner issues statement following recent criticism

Blackpool owner Simon Sadler has reiterated his commitment to the club after he was criticised for the Tangerines’ business during the final days of the summer transfer window.

The likes of Jerry Yates, Keshi Anderson and Curtis Nelson have all left Bloomfield Road since the end of last season and although they have been new arrivals, there have been some suggestions manager Neil Critchley has been left short as he looks to help the club bounce back from relegation into the Championship at the first attempt.

Referencing accusations of a lack of investment, Sadler said: “In this financial year alone, I expect to provide an additional GBP5m, this before any contribution to any large infrastructure projects. It’s this level of commitment that keeps Blackpool Football Club operational. It’s this investment that has given us a likely top six playing budget, and enables us to pay, for Kyle Joseph, the highest known transfer fee this year in League One.

“It’s this money that has helped us to bring in established pro’s like Oliver Norburn, Matthew Pennington, Richard O’Donnell and Jordan Rhodes, whilst also sign younger players such as Kyle, Tashan Oakley-Boothe, Albie Morgan and Kylian Kouassi - players who will hopefully develop into our stars of the future. It’s this that has allowed us to loan highly rated youngsters like Jensen Weir and Karamoko Dembele. I doubt that there is another owner or ownership group in League One that will make as large a financial contribution this season as the £5m that I will likely inject.”

The statement in full can be read here.

Posh land former Chelsea striker

Peterborough United have handed a two-year deal to former Chelsea academy star Malik Mothersille.

The 19-year-old scored twice against Darren Ferguson’s side in a Papa John’s Trophy tie last season and has already been told there is no pressure on him to hit the ground running by his new manager. Mothersille has already been impressed with the Posh and is hoping to make the most of the opportunity handed to him.

He said: "I know that this is a good club, obviously I played against Peterborough last season, it was a good experience and I felt at the time that they played the right way and it would be a good place to play my football.

“I don’t like to restrict myself in terms of my game and what type of player I am. I have enjoyed my time with Chelsea, but I felt it was the right time for me to play men’s football and I am looking forward to the opportunity I have here.”

Grecians consider free agent move

Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell has confirmed he will consider adding a free agent to his squad after the summer transfer window closed on Friday night.

The former Scotland international completed moves for the likes of Motherwell forward Jack Aitchison, Dundee United winger Ilmari Niskanen and former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tom Carroll during the summer - but is still hoping to boost his ranks by considering a number of free agents.

He told DevonLive: “We still have a desire to improve and have a couple of options of unattached players so we will keep looking, but it is where we are. We are doing extremely well with a small squad and need to get bodies in to support the players. We will look at unattached players but it has to be the right player and we won’t do it for the sake of it. They will have to buy into the mentality and want to improve every single day and we will bring those characters in should they be available.”