Portsmouth boss details number of midfield options needed following arrival of Northern Ireland youngster and ex-Wolves man

But head coach John Mousinho is pleased with the options he currently has in the centre of the park.

The Blues have made two additions to the engine room in the opening weeks of the window, with Ben Stevenson arriving on a free deal from Forest Green, while Northern Ireland youngster Terry Devlin made the switch from Glentoran for an undisclosed fee.

The duo join Joe Morrell, Marlon Pack, Tom Lowery and youngster Harry Jewitt-White in Mousinho’s midfield ranks.

That’s after the departures of Louis Thompson and Ryan Tunnicliffe, while Jay Mingi’s contract came to an end on Friday.

With six names in the head coach’s engine room, the Blues boss revealed he and is recruitment staff are still considering whether another central midfielder will need to be added to the side this summer.

He told The News: ‘It’s a conversation we’re having at the moment as to whether we do that and what that profile of the player looks like.

‘One of the reasons we wanted to get our business done early was to have those five in the building just to give us those options later in the window.’

Mousinho has previously revealed he is looking to add a new number 10 to add further creativity to his side.

And the head coach has explained the key roles his two new central midfield additions - Stevenson and Devlin - will add to his squad.

He added: ‘Having lost Louis, Ryan and Jay, we want to be competitive in the middle of the pitch.

‘The profile of player we’ve bought in Ben is someone who can cover both positions as a holder and is an advanced midfielder as well.

‘He’s got good pedigree in terms of another one who has been promoted from League Two two seasons ago. He is a bit older and a bit more experienced than at the opposite end to the spectrum with Terry coming in.

‘Terry is someone that we’re really excited about not just for the future but for now as well. At 19 we think he can produce. He’s had an excellent season with Glentoran and definitely is a different mould. He’s an attacking midfielder, he likes to run, likes to get in the box and likes to score goals and get assists.

‘Having those strong five in the middle of the park competing for three spots at the moment is really pleasing for us.’