Exclusive:John Mousinho latest as Portsmouth CEO Andy Cullen addresses exit talk amid Bristol City interest
Pompey chief executive reiterates no approaches have been made for highly-regarded boss John Mousinho amid Bristol City links
Andy Cullen insisted it’s business as usual at Pompey after stressing the club have received no approaches for John Mousinho.
The Fratton Park chief executive said work is ongoing behind the scenes to ensure the Blues are fully equipped for a third consecutive season in the Championship.
And he emphasised the point that everyone was aligned in how best to take the club forward - including himself, Mousinho, sporting director Rich Hughes and the board.
What Andy Cullen said about John Mousinho
Speculation about Mousinho’s Pompey future has been rife since Championship safety was secured and amid interest from Bristol City.
On Tuesday, national reports claimed the 40-year-old had held discussions with the Ashton Gate outfit as they seek a permanent successor to Gerhard Struber, who was sacked in March.
However, Cullen has poured cold water on those claims by maintaining no contact has been made by City - or any other clubs for that matter.
‘There’s been no approach from any club’, the Blues CEO told The News on Wednesday, nine days after initially having to outline the same stance.
‘I'm aware of all the speculation, and there's obviously going to be. As I've always said, there's always going to be interest when you've got talented individuals in your business and those that are performing.
‘That comes across in football, it comes across in players, it comes across in coaches, but we've had no formal approach.
‘John's contracted to us, and we're all working at the moment in terms of planning through the summer, in terms of pre-season, in terms of recruitment, in terms of what the longer-term picture looks like as well for the football club.
‘There's nothing there for us to consider. There's been no approach. I can see everybody commenting, absolutely, but we've had nothing from any club in terms of any approach whatsoever. ‘
Cullen: We’re all aligned
Since guiding Pompey to a third consecutive season in the Championship with one of the division’s lowest budgets, Mousinho has spoken candidly of his desire to see the club go to the next level in a bid to avoid annual relegation battles.
Subsequent talks took place with owners Tornante ahead of the final game of the season against Birmingham City on May 2.
And according to Cullen, everyone is working towards a common goal of progressing the club forward, including the Blues’ highly-regarded head coach, who is undertaking his duties as normal at the club’s training base.
The Pompey chief executive added: ‘I was with John yesterday, and we're planning on lots of different things at the moment, all those different areas that you'd expect us to be looking at at this time of the season.
‘That's where we are. We're all aligned in terms of us all working together at the moment in terms of Rich, John, myself, the board, in terms of where we want to take the club forward next and where the club needs to go, having consolidated our place in the Championship for a third consecutive season.
‘That's what we're sort of working through. But there's lots of other areas that we need to get done over the summer as well. You've got the longer-term strategy, but you've also got the other areas that we're working through at the moment together.
‘We're determined to keep progressing the club forward. There's no doubt that that's everything that we all want to see.’
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