'Nothing has changed': Defiant Portsmouth boss refuses to budge on January transfer wish list
The Blues’ head coach has reiterated he still wants between 3-6 new players next month
John Mousinho reflected on Pompey’s recent uplift in form and insisted: Our January transfer plans are unchanged.
Following three successive defeats, the Blues have subsequently taken four points from a possible six to edge clear of the Championship relegation zone.
Regardless, their head coach is still targeting between 3-6 new arrivals next month in a window which will be key to his side remaining in the Championship.
Mousinho has long been absolutely aware of the positions which require strengthening, although yesterday played down the need for a centre-forward being a ‘priority’.
And, irrespective of the last two results, the weaknesses in Pompey’s squad still require urgently addressing if they are to avoid a return to League One.
Portsmouth boss: We don’t all of a sudden think we’ve cracked it
Mousinho told The News: ‘Everything is as it was. Whether you win games or lose games, we take an objective look at where we are as a football club and we take an objective look at where we are as a squad.
‘At Swansea, the performance level was there for the most part, but we didn’t score and ended up conceding. I don’t think we were a million miles away from where we were at Derby, we probably created more at Swansea, if anything.
‘We don’t look at it and all of a sudden think we’ve cracked it because we’ve taken four points from two games. We are still in the position we are in in terms of the league - and we are still in the same position in the terms of the squad and what we need to strengthen.
‘There is still time, I suppose, for things to change over the next couple of games before we get to January, but it hasn’t changed the planning at all.
‘Wanting 3-6 new players is still the case. We are also always flexible, we still need to stay flexible, I always use that left-back example as one where we wouldn’t have anticipated thinking about strengthening in that area.
‘Depending on where Faz (Jacob Farrell) and Connor Ogilvie are at next week, we’ll take a view on that. That’s a good example of how quickly things can change and why we need to be flexible, pretty much in every position.’
Double injury boost for QPR
Pompey have Ibane Bowat and Zak Swanson available for the Boxing Day visit of QPR, while Josh Murphy is rated as 50/50 following his hamstring scare against Derby.
Meanwhile, Josh Knight (back), Conor Shaughnessy (hamstring), Thomas Waddingham (thigh), Ogilvie (knee) and Farrell (groin) remain on the sidelines.
And while Mousinho believes he possesses a ‘decent-sized’ squad, he acknowledges it also requires bolstering to remain strong in numbers.
‘We’ve actually got a decent-sized squad’
He added: ‘I speak to managers up and down the country, they have the same issue with injuries.
‘At Derby, we had 20 pros available and one of them was Franco (Umeh) coming in for his first appearance on a Pompey team-sheet.
‘We didn’t have a centre-half available on the bench, so those are the things you have to take into account when you are looking at what you’re going to do and how you are going to strengthen.
‘There have been times when we’ve had 24-26 fit pros, but there have been times we’ve had 18-19 as well. It’s really difficult.
‘We’ve actually got a decent-sized squad, but, with the demands of the modern game, a lot of squads are seeing injuries at the moment. It's how much it takes out of them.
‘You just have to be ready to strengthen and have the numbers available to make sure we are strong.’
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