'Good enough' - Portsmouth boss backs free-to-leave duo to have exits sorted before transfer deadline
Pompey are confident they can have exits for unwanted duo in place ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline
John Mousinho believes Tom McIntyre and Abdoulaye Kamara are good enough to get moves away from Pompey before Monday’s transfer deadline of 7pm
The duo remain on the books of the Blues with just three days of the transfer window remaining, despite being told they were free to leave the Fratton Park club early in the off season.
That has seen them play no part in any of Pompey’s pre-season programme - although, McIntyre picked up an injury in training - or be considered for selection following the resumption of competitive fixtures at the beginning of August.
Duo’s Pompey days are numbered
Kamara, who has featured just six times for the Blues following his disastrous move on a four-year deal from Borussia Dortmund last summer, has spent the majority of this summer in France, where he has been training independently while searching for a new club.
Reports last week claimed there was interest in him from Ligue 2 - the second tier of football in his homeland - and that a potential escape route out of PO4 was close.
The 20-year-old’s last appearance for Pompey came in January’s FA Cup defeat to Wycombe at Adams Park.
McIntyre, meanwhile, has had an equally-frustrating spell at Fratton Park following his £75,000 move from Reading in January 2024. He broke an ankle on his debut against Northampton - a match he was also, unbelievably, sent off in - and missed the rest of the Pompey’s League One title-winning season.
He returned to the Blues’ first team last September amid an injury crisis at the back and featured 13 times in all compeitions. But the 26-year-old was then sent out on loan to Charlton for the second half of the campaign following that cup exit to the Chairboys.
After featuring 10 times for the Addicks, he currently finds himself behind Conor Shaughnessy, Regan Poole, Hayden Matthews, Ibane Bowat and latest signing Josh Knight in the Blues’ central defensive pecking order.
Pompey hopeful exits can be arranged following Matt Ritchie move
This week, Pompey were able to reach an agreement with Matt Ritchie and Reading for his Fratton Park departure after just one season with the club.
Now the focus, seperate from from further incomings, is to sort out the futures of Kamara and McIntyre - players who Mousinho believes will be considered good options for clubs in the remaining days of the window.
‘We’re working pretty hard to make sure that we come to a resolution with the them,’ said Mousinho.
‘I think we're pretty close on Abdu. Again, that's something I've sort of broadly been across but not in the specifics of anything.
‘With Tom, I think there is a bit of interest as well so hopefully for the players as well to go and get that playing time, we'll have that figured out by the end of the window.
‘I think so, (being fixed up by 7pm on Monday). I think they're good enough players that clubs are definitely going to take them.
‘Sometimes it takes the start of the season and a couple of injuries for clubs to readjust where they are and naturally clubs just don't do all their business early on.’