Live on the south coast - or don't sign: Portsmouth boss' blunt warning to summer targets as he bids to end travelling culture

That’s the warning from John Mousinho, who has vowed to change the Blues’ travelling culture.

Since arriving in January, the head coach has been alarmed to discover a number of his playing squad have chosen not to live in Portsmouth and the surrounding area.

They include, Kieron Freeman who commuted from Nottingham, while Ryan Tunnicliffe journeyed from his family home in Bromley – with both subsequently released.

It was a stipulation of the Paul Cook era that new recruits settled locally, a policy which contributed towards a tremendous team spirit and drove them to the League Two title.

And, ahead of his first full transfer window, Mousinho is determined to reintroduce that directive.

He told The News: ‘I can’t come in and all of a sudden demand everybody relocates to Portsmouth – but one thing I can do with the new players is at least have that conversation if they are willing to do that.

‘You can ask the question and see what their plans are. If a player is saying they’re going to commute from Carlisle then we’d probably cross them off the list. It’s as simple as that.

‘It’s a pretty reasonable ask for the new signings if we say what are your plans, fancy coming down to Portsmouth it’s not a bad city to live in. Then we’ll go from there.

‘It’s not always going to be possible, some of the existing players here have families and commitments, so I’m not going to say that’s the blanket policy of the club, but that's what we want.

‘From a physical point of view, we want people to be ready to pop into training and not have a huge amount of travel in their legs.

‘I want people living pretty close to the area, getting a feel of it, just being in and around it. I always wanted to move relatively close to the football club, just experience it and live it – and I think that’s what fans want.

‘We aren’t going to be able to do that with everyone, but, for the most part, with the physical demands of the modern game, at a bare minimum we want them living relatively close.

‘Travelling is not conducive to being a top-end professional. You finish training and your body’s sore, so the best thing after training is to kick off your recovery protocols, ice baths, protein shakes, go to the gym, hit the pool.

‘That’s the right way to live, and that's what we want from footballers, dedicated to their profession.’

Ryley Towler and Paddy Lane moved permanently to Pompey in January.

And Mousinho is encouraged that both are currently in the process of relocating their family homes on south-coast as they settle down for a long Blues future.

He added: ‘Two really good examples are Ryley and Paddy. I wasn’t involved in Ryley’s signing, but I know he is moving down here with his partner this summer, relocating his life to dedicate himself towards being a professional footballer at Portsmouth.

‘Paddy is coming down from the North West and is going to be dedicating his life to be a professional footballer for Portsmouth Football Club.

‘That’s what we want.’