‘First-team ready’: Portsmouth boss’ belief over new midfielder matching Championship expectations
Pompey upped their transfer spending this summer for their third Championship season, but the Comoros international joined for a relatively modest fee.
John Mousino is adamant Iyad Mohamed can match his lofty expectations for a Championship midfielder.
And the Blues boss insisted the new boy’s relatively modest price tag has no bearing on summer arrival fulfilling his demands.
Mousinho on Mohamed: ‘He’s first-team ready’
But Mousinho acknowledged the 25-year-old will need time to bed into English football, following the Comoros international’s arrival from Portuguese outfit Casa Pia.
Mohamed has now made two substitute appearances since joining the club, with the Pompey boss setting a high bar for his midfield operators.
That’s a challenge he feels the French-born operator can rise to in the second tier of the English game.
Mousinho said: ‘Iyad’s settling in well, but there’s going to be a period where we don’t want to chuck him in too early.
‘We’re not expecting him to all of a sudden be up to the pace of the league and the pace of a Championship game.
‘A couple of week’s worth of training and a couple of substitute appearances help and he’s in a much better spot for that.
‘He’s physical enough to deal with the Championship and he’s very comfortable on the ball as well.
‘Once he gets the tactical understanding and what we want to achieve, he’ll have no problem playing for an extended period.
‘I think he can do it (reach Mousinho’s demands for a midfielder), otherwise we wouldn't have brought him into the football club.
‘It’s an interesting part of recruitment, sometimes we get ones wrong and hopefully get more right.
‘He’s got the potential to do it, he’s a very promising player.
‘He’s slightly older so he’s not a player to develop - he’s first-team ready. I can think he can adjust really well.’
Pompey significantly increased their summer spending on transfer fees, but landed Mohamed for a fee between €300,000 and €400,000.
But Mousinho insisted that had no bearing on the player living up to his demands.
He said: ‘Whether we sign players for free or multiple millions, ultimately I don’t care when it comes to selecting the best XI - I just want to select the best XI
‘Whether one of our players cost a huge amount of money or not, it doensn’t bother me.
‘There’s no pressure from the club to play the player or vice-versa.
‘It’s all about getting right balance to win a game. Paying a fee or otherwise has no impact on me in terms of team selection.’