Portsmouth boss’ transfer aim as he admits doubt over summer business

John Mousinho has outlined the importance of quick transfer business being completed this summer.

But the Pompey boss admitted some doubt over a repeat of the club’s hurtling start to last summer’s window being repeated.

The Blues are continuing to put the deals in place they have been working on over recent months, ahead of the transfer window opening on June 14.

Chief executive Andy Cullen last week stated a desire to get another raft of deals quickly in the can, with that approach a significant factor in this season’s success.

Ten of Pompey’s summer signings joined Mousinho’s squad for the pre-season training camp in Spain, with only Regan Poole in additions to loanees Tino Anjorin, Alex Robertson and Abu Kamara coming later.

Mousinho echoed Cullen’s sentiment, with the approach affording a decent amount of time for the group to come together on and off the pitch ahead of the campaign getting underway at the start of August.

But the head coach acknowledged while getting your business done quickly is the preference, there can be mitigating circumstances which stand in the way of completing the moves.

Loans, for example, are generally accepted to take place later in the transfer window when clubs return to pre-season and assess their squads, 

Likewise, the big hitters who travel on far-flung tours often use their fringe players in warm-up games, before allowing them to depart.

Pompey’s schedule this year gives them just over three weeks from the window opening, until the date pencilled in for their as yet unconfirmed training camp.

Mousinho said: ‘One of the big things we achieved that last year was by the time we went away in the second week of pre-season, we had 10 of those 14 bodies through the door. It helped.

‘Sometimes you can do that, sometimes you can’t. We’re not sure how that is going to look this year, but we will try to get our business done as early as possible. Sometimes it’s possible, sometimes it’s not.’

WATCH Bask in the glory of a never-to-be-forgotten period in our new Pompey champion's documentary.