Portsmouth chief's transfer fears as he warns Danny Cowley's recruitment plans impacted by coronavirus

Andy Cullen admits Pompey’s recruitment plans have been affected by the fresh coronavirus outbreak.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

And he insists it’s an impact felt by all Premier League and Football League clubs.

With cases now widespread through football and prompting the festive fixture list to be devastated, there is a belief that January’s transfer window will also feel the consequences.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With squads decimated by Covid, Pompey’s chief executive is adamant there is now generally a reticence to allow players to depart.

Instead fringe performers and youngsters are needed to remain and bolster dwindling playing numbers, thereby temporarily delaying agreed moves.

And for Danny Cowley and his recruitment department, that means disappointment during the lengthy pursuit of Pompey targets.

Cullen told The News: ‘I think this is going to have an impact on the pace of the transfer window.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘My own view would be that younger players in the Premier League and Championship who may have been allowed out on loan, could now be kept at their clubs.

The transfer plans of Danny Cowley have been impacted by the latest coronavirus outbreak, according to Andy Cullen. Picture: Jason Brown/ProSportsImagesThe transfer plans of Danny Cowley have been impacted by the latest coronavirus outbreak, according to Andy Cullen. Picture: Jason Brown/ProSportsImages
The transfer plans of Danny Cowley have been impacted by the latest coronavirus outbreak, according to Andy Cullen. Picture: Jason Brown/ProSportsImages

‘This is particularly the case in the first half of January as clubs are going to need numbers. So you’re going to find a scarcity of players available.

‘Equally, because there’s a scarcity, any players you might be interested in putting bids in could have their value go up. When there’s scarcity, the value rises.

‘And with clubs impacted by finances, in terms of the loss of games and gate revenue, particularly in the lower leagues, that starts to have an impact.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘An extra dynamic has been added and it will be really, really interesting to see how this pans out.

‘In terms of the (mid-season) transfer window, you tend to get two spikes. A little at the beginning of January, where deals have already been done in November/December, and then the final two weeks.

Read More
For the latest Pompey news direct to your inbox sign up for our free newsletter

‘I think now you won’t see much business done in the early days of January, with perhaps everything piling up towards the end of the month when everyone has a bit more clarity about how the season is looking and what they can afford.

‘This will affect everybody, whether you are a Premier League club or a League Two club. It will have an impact on what you might have been planning to do and what you actually can do.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘If any club was looking at a situation where they may have been wanting to let a player go out, you are now not going to be wanting to let those players go. You can’t afford to weaken your squads any more.’

And Cullen insists the push for fresh recruits continues, irrespective of the current set-backs.

The Blues chief added: ‘We are looking to strengthen the squad if circumstances dictate that we can.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘There has been so much work done on that since August, it has been relentless, but things change.

‘Someone you thought might have been available to you on December 1 but aren’t on December 15.

‘Anything can happen as January unfolds, but this is an extra dynamic.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can support our local team of expert Pompey writers by subscribing here for all the latest news from Fratton Park for 14p a day.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.