Portsmouth boss shifts direction ahead of transfer window opening amid Covid fears

Danny Cowley admitted the focus has shifted to making the most of his Pompey resources with Covid wreaking havoc on the January transfer window.
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But the Blues boss stressed recruitment business next month remains of ‘paramount importance’ to his long-term plans as he goes about shaping his squad.

The winter window opens for business on Saturday, with Cowley clear he’s looking up to four additions before the end of the month.

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Players will need to leave to make that happen, with Doncaster Rovers keen on landing Paul Downing and the likes of Ellis Harrison, John Marquis and Michael Jacobs available.

Pompey are fearful, however, about the impact coronavirus will have on bringing in additions - particularly loans options being tracked at clubs in top two divisions.

The prospect of sides stockpiling players in the face of potential further Covid outbreaks, has led Cowley to put contingency plans in place moving ahead with those already at his disposal.

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Cowley said: ‘With the fact Covid has been really prevalent recently, we’re also respectful of the impact that may have on the January window and players who were available before this period may not be available.

Pompey boss Danny Cowley (Photo by James Baylis - AMA/Getty Images)Pompey boss Danny Cowley (Photo by James Baylis - AMA/Getty Images)
Pompey boss Danny Cowley (Photo by James Baylis - AMA/Getty Images)
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‘We anticipate that some Premier League and Championship clubs may try to keep more players around them because of the circumstances we’ve all been hit with recently.

‘As a consequence of all this really, our focus has been on the here and now and what we can affect.

‘That’s been the team and the players who are available to us now.

‘We’re continuing to do all the necessary work in preparation for January.

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‘We’d certainly like to do some work in January, and feel it’s absolutely of paramount importance we continue to evolve in this early period we’re in as a newly-formed group.

‘We’re planning for every eventuality.’

Cowley is staying tight-lipped over any interest in his players, with talk over the likes of Downing and Marquis continuing in the countdown to the window opening.

The good news for the Pompey boss is he now has options to consider, when it comes to putting plans in place for how the coming weeks and months are navigated.

Cowley added: ‘Before the January window there will always be a lot of rumours and talk over ins and outs. This maybe gets magnified when games get called off.

‘Our focus really has been on the things we can affect.

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‘As you could imagine, it’s been pretty disrupted here on a day-to-day basis.

‘That has definitely affected our planning and it’s been an incredibly busy time for us to try to plan and prepare our players.

‘They’ve all had individualised programmes as we try to navigate through this Covid-hit period.’

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