'A very, very strange year': John Mousinho on why Portsmouth transfer business has still to ignite

John Mousinho defended Pompey’s transfer window activity and reasoned: It has been a very, very strange year.

Adrian Segecic is presently the only new face who will be attending Blues’ pre-season training camp in Slovakia, which starts on Saturday.

By this time last year, Pompey had made five signings as they bolstered the squad for their Championship return, while in the summer of 2023 there were nine fresh recruits.

Chief executive Andy Cullen reassured supporters earlier in the week that the club were progressing with targets, with ‘lots of talking going on.’

Nonetheless, Mousinho has pinpointed the Club World Cup and Euro under-21 Championships as contributing towards the slowness of the market, particularly above League One.

Yet he’s convinced the Blues will be ready to pounce once business across the English league ramps up.

‘Bizarrely, the season is only just finishing’

He told The News: ‘There has been a knock-on effect on the transfer window due to a number of things.

‘Firstly, we secured our Championship status on Easter Monday and then had 10 days towards the end of the season to build into the Sheffield Wednesday and Hull games. Then we were back in for pre-season last week.

‘So that was a good break for us, whereas a lot of the other clubs are in the play-offs or the Club World Cup. There have also been Euro Championships for the under-19s and under-21s, so, bizarrely, the season is only just finishing.

‘It’s a very, very strange year, which means knock-on effects for Premier League sides. In terms of them sorting their squads and knowing what they are doing with them, it hasn’t really filtered down.

‘There’s not a huge amount of movement at the moment, the majority of the movement is in League One and League Two, with a few things in the Championship.

‘When things open up, we are ready to strike, we are ready to go. We have got our targets and I feel we’re in a good spot.’

Pompey have signed 29 players over the previous two summers

Over the previous two summers, Pompey have totalled 29 signings, with 24 contracted players departing, representing successive squad overhauls.

This time, however, Mousinho believes he requires just ‘five or six’ new recruits as he builds on last season’s Championship placing of 16th.

Certainly he is adamant that crucial foundations already exist, ensuring this transfer window will be very different to previous ones.

Portsmouth boss: It was more straightforward signing players in League One

He added: ‘In my first summer here, we had a lot out of contract and signed about 14-15 players. A lot were on frees and low fees, which I thought was relatively straightforward in terms of bringing them.

‘When Pompey are competing at the top end of League One for free transfers - or even to pay fees for players - it was a lot more straightforward than it has been in the Championship over the past year or so.

‘Last year was much more about doing the work necessary to make sure we are competitive in the Championship, which was a really quick transition and an interesting one.

‘Then, in January, we were very, very short-term with the amount of loans and free transfers we brought in. This year is slightly different, fewer numbers, increased budgets, so we are going to different places and looking for different markets.

‘All of a sudden signings at the lower end have gone from thousands of pounds, for example, and are turning into a £1m-plus. We need to really make sure we do the right work on that and bring the right players in at the right time.’

Your Next Pompey Read: Pompey title-winning trio reunited eight years on as left-back chases new club