Portsmouth boss makes clear transfer admission amid late-window speculation involving Bristol City defender

John Mousinho is clear Pompey were not in the market for a new centre-back in the closing stages of the summer window.

And the head coach is adamant the Blues didn’t miss out on any of their transfer targets, with his side recruiting 12 new faces in the market.

Mousinho has come out of the summer with four central defenders in his ranks, with Regan Poole, Conor Shaughnessy, Madiodio Dia and Benjy Arthur all vying for starting spots.

That’s after the departures of Josh Knight and Hayden Matthews’ loan exits, with the pair joining Reading and Bradford City respectively, while Ibane Bowat completed a permanent switch Huddersfield Town.

However, speculation emerged on social media earlier this week stating the Blues had a long-standing interest in Bristol City defender and former Fratton loanee Rob Atkinson.

This sparked talk amongst fans over a potential late-window swoop for the 28-year-old, who featured 15 times for Pompey during a hugely-successful temporary stay across the second-half of the 2024-25 campaign.

Pompey not looking to make late-window move for a new central defender

A late move for Atkinson or any central defender for that matter was not something under consideration by the football operations at Fratton Park, though, with Mousinho making it clear he was not looking to bolster at the heart of defence.

When asked whether the Blues were looking at bringing in a new centre-back before Tuesday’s deadline, the head coach told The News: ‘No. We were done.

‘I mean, we loaned two out and we let Ibane go out earlier on in the window. So no that wasn’t a thing.

‘We got Benji in and Connor Ogilvie can cover there as well.’

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John Mousinho clear Pompey didn’t miss out on targets

It was a hectic summer on the south coast as Mousinho assembled his squad for the new Championship campaign.

Pompey spent around £11m during the window recruiting 12 new players, with Odin Bailey, Eoin Kenny, Rocco Shein, Marezi, Daniel Bielica, Luke Brooke-Smith, Abu Kamara, Benjy Arthur, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, Iyad Mohamed, Jayden Meghoma and Tyrese Shade arriving through the doors.

Departures were required to accommodate the new signings, with Bowat, Matthews, Knight, Josef Bursik and Jordan Williams all departing, while Luke Le Roux’s deal was ripped up after the window’s close on Thursday.

The South African’s exit leaves 28 senior players currently in Mousinho’s ranks, with three players needing to be registered to fit in the confines of the EFL’s 25-man squad permutations.

And with the Blues’ squad space already at its limit, the head coach admitted his side couldn’t make any further additions - while also stressing Pompey didn’t miss any of their transfer targets.

He added: No we didn’t (miss out on any targets). That was it, we couldn’t do any more because of the squad numbers.’

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