Portsmouth boss reveals key factor in thinking over January transfer business

But the Pompey boss underlined the importance of weighing up any business against the harmony of his existing squad, who have impressed to date in League One.

Mousinho has indicated looking at a new winger could be an avenue to explore in the new year, when the shutters come up for transfer business on January 1.

And a temporary deal may be the road to travel down, with some flexibility in his existing numbers when it comes to loans.

Pompey have three loanees at present in Alex Robertson, Abu Kamara and Tino Anajorin - with the opportunity to name five loans in a matchday squad.

A fear in the past has been losing excelling loans, with it the norm for parent clubs to have January options to recall their player. That, of course, wouldn’t be the case with those temporary moves arriving in the winter window.

Mousinho is acutely aware much could happen between now and the new year, but in talks on the issue within the football operation loans are on the agenda.

He said: ‘I think with January signings you have to take each situation as it comes and balance it off with how it looks in the squad.

‘You sometimes turn down opportunities because of the squad you’ve currently got, vice-versa sometimes you have to make an exception and look at changing things.

‘At the moment we have a bit of flexibility because of the loans. We still have two loan spots so we have that flexibility there to see what we could do in January.

‘It’s an interesting one at the moment, because we’re not looking at the squad and thinking there’s definite areas we may need to strengthen.

‘But we are very, very early in our thinking on that and still have two-and-a-half months until the window opens. A lot of things can and will change between now and then.’