Why 'natural fit' Portsmouth boss John Mousinho is on Bristol City's radar to spearhead 'summer of change'

Bristol City are readying to unveil their new sporting director and head coach at the same time to deliver an ambitious statement to supporters.

And, according to the Bristol Post’s Dan Carter, the Robins’ long-time target John Mousinho would represent the ideal fit in a ‘summer of change’ at Ashton Gate.

Having twice previously targeted the Blues’ head coach under former sporting director Brian Tinnion, they are in the process of bringing in James Ellis as his replacement.

The former Arsenal technical director has long been linked with the Championship club, although is still to be officially announced.

In the meantime, Bristol City are closing in on a replacement for Roy Hodgson, whose stint as interim head coach has now ended following the season’s conclusion.

Pompey’s Mousinho is among the frontrunners to replace the former England boss amid a behind-the-scenes overhaul.

And the Post’s Bristol City reporter believes the Robins are holding back announcing their sporting director until they also have a new head coach in place.

‘In terms of the fit, Mousinho does feel quite natural’

Carter told The News: ‘I am not sure how much of the reported Steven Gerrard interest is from the City side, it doesn't feel like somebody particularly high up the list. Whereas Mousinho has been linked before and, in terms of the fit, it does feel quite natural.

‘There has been a reset with a new CEO coming in in February, a new sporting director and a new manager. It feels like it’s going to be a bit of a clean slate and this is a summer of change.

‘Roy Hodgson said the only reason he was attracted to the job was because it was for five weeks. He had no real interest in taking it on beyond that, which is fairly natural given his age.

‘His replacement has taken that bit longer. The decision to sack Gerhard Struber was made in the March international break, so we are talking almost two months on.

‘In the press release following Struber’s sacking, it was said the task of the incoming sporting director was to appoint a new head coach for the next season. That’s where there has been a bit of confusion.

‘Most fans’ expectation was you might even have the new manager doing a lap of honour around the pitch on the final day of the season, but it has slightly dragged on longer than we may have thought it would.

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‘Naturally we were expecting a sporting director announcement - and maybe a week or two later the head coach would come in. It seems those two things are happening in tandem now.’

Three-and-a-half years at Fratton Park

Mousinho has spent the last three-and-a-half years at Fratton Park, steering the Blues to the League One title in his first full campaign.

He has subsequently kept them in the Championship in successive seasons, securing safety with two games to spare despite possessing one of the lowest wage bills in the division.

And, according to Carter, those achievements have been noted outside of Fratton Park.

He added: ‘From my perspective - and also talking to people - there’s a real respect for the job Mousinho has done at Pompey on what is known not to be the biggest budget.

‘If you’re comparing Bristol City's budget to Pompey, it probably does look quite big. However, in terms of the owners chasing those play-off places, it’s not comparable to a Wrexham or Birmingham.

‘City fans have perhaps become a bit disillusioned in the last few months, just because of decisions taken at a higher level than the manager. I feel Mousinho has the skills to come in and perform with the resources at his disposal.’

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