Portsmouth launch emergency transfer hunt after hit by latest devastating injury

John Mousino believes it ‘would be wise’ for Pompey to recruit a new left-back.

And the Blues are to scour the free agent market immediately, while also eye January’s transfer window for a potential recruit.

Connor Ogilvie has been ruled out for up to three months with the knee ligament damage he sustained against Wrexham on Wednesday night.

With the injury-ravaged Jacob Farrell still troubled by a groin problem, the right-footed Jordan Williams was pressed into duty as a left wing-back in Saturday's 3-2 defeat at Hull.

Left-footed centre-half Ibane Bowat had filled the left-back berth unsuccessfully against Birmingham the previous weekend.

And Mousinho is realistic enough to acknowledge that somebody urgently needs to be signed to fill what has become a problem position.

‘It’s a real blow’

The Blues head coach told The News: ‘Connor’s going to be out for about 10-12 weeks with knee ligament damage.

‘We’ll see what that looks like, it definitely now becomes something we weren’t maybe prioritising previously, but with Jacob not being available and Connor and his injury, I think it would be wise to look at it.

‘It’s a real blow. We look back at the challenge on Wednesday night, it wasn't a nasty challenge, it was innocuous. It should have been a free-kick and wasn’t given.

‘You don’t look at the challenge and think it was overly poor, but Conor just came out of it on the wrong side.’

Last January, the Blues swooped to sign Cohen Bramall for an undisclosed fee from Rotherham to provide left-back cover.

With Farrell at that time having undergone a knee operation, it left Ogilvie as the sole available left-back, meaning the capture of Bramall represented a sensible signing.

He went on to make 12 appearances, including four starts, yet Pompey opted against retaining him last summer and he moved to League One Luton. Bramall scored for the Hatters against Stockport on Saturday.

Now sporting director Rich Hughes is challenged with again recruiting a new left-back, this time to deputise for the injured Ogilvie.

Farrell’s ongoing injuries

Farrell, who has featured just once this season, still hasn’t returned to training following his latest set-back - this time a groin issue - and a comeback date has yet to be pinpointed.

Understandably, the Blues are growing frustrated over the ongoing availability of the highly-rated Australian who signed a four-year deal in July 2024, having totalled two matches since then.

There is the option to explore the free agent market, with one space remaining in their 25-man Football League squad.

Alternatively, Pompey could wait until the January window opens and either buy a player or explore loan opportunities.

There are two vacant match-day loan slots, with Florian Bianchini, Minhyeok Yang and Conor Chaplin presently at Fratton Park on season-long arrangements.

Ogilvie, who has made 13 appearances this term, is out of contract at the season’s end and has made 176 appearances and scored 12 times since being recruited on a free transfer from Gillingham in June 2021 by Danny Cowley.

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