Portsmouth boss eyes next stage of midfield transfer activity after reshaping squad

And letting Owen Moxon depart for Stockport County on the final day of the transfer window, was a deal actioned with what comes next in the middle of the park in mind.

Mousinho has acknowledged further surgery is required and is looking to evolve the options centrally, hopefully at Championship level.

Moxon’s exit after a year at Fratton Park raised some eyebrows among a section of supporters, though the 27-year-old was finding playing time hard to come by with no minutes in the past 11 league games.

Mousinho explained it was a decision made with an eye being cast towards what happens in midfield further down the line.

He said: ‘From our perspective with Mox (Moxon), we had our hats on the short and long-term hats on with that one. The short-term conversation was he wouldn’t play that much between now and the end of the season here.

‘But the long-term view is that’s a department we may want to strengthen further in the summer, so we wanted to be fair to Owen as well.’

Looking at Pompey’s options centrally, recruiting Issac Hayden on loan from Newcastle for the rest of the season has added Championship nous. Freddie Potts has been brought in from West Ham for the season and has made a strong impression, though it remains to be seen how the Premier League club see his long-term future.

Andre Dozzell has improved as the season has continued, with his deal up in the summer after arriving from QPR, while Abdoulaye Kamara was handed a lengthy four-year deal when joining from Borussia Dortmund but has barely featured.

That leaves Marlon Pack, who is now being considered in midfield again after helping with Pompey’s defensive issues this term. The skipper is currently contracted at Fratton Park until the summer of 2026.

Mousinho is currently happy with what he has to call on in midfield, but it’s clear that recruitment work lies ahead in that area.

He added: ‘When we’re looking at a couple of factors, we’ve really strengthened in the centre-back department, so that frees up Marlon to move back in as a six and a central midfielder.

‘We’ve slightly tweaked the way we play in terms of that reliance on two sixes as well, where we have one player slightly higher up the pitch. We have plenty of options there and we’re really pleased.

‘If you look at the middle of the park we have Doz (Dozzell), Marlon (Pack), Abdou (Kamara), Freddie (Potts), Isaac (Hayden) and I think Adil (Aouchiche) could play in there as an eight/10. We’re pretty comfortable with where we are there but it’s something we have flexibility to look at again in the summer.’