Ex-Tottenham man earmarked for Portsmouth exit as John Mousinho braced for big decisions over player futures
Pompey presently have just one free slot in their 25-man Football League squad
Jordan Archer will head Pompey’s January transfer window departures.
And there are big decisions to be made over Jacob Farrell and Luke Le Roux, with John Mousinho gunning for between 3-6 new signings to aid the Blues’ battle to remain in the Championship.
Pompey are desperate to create room within their 25-man Football League-registered squad to accommodate fresh additions, with one place currently available.
Former Spurs man Archer is an obvious exit, having not even been included in the existing player list, which was previously submitted in September.
Final six months of his contract
As a consequence, he hasn’t made a Championship squad this season and, as he enters the final six months of his contract, all parties would welcome an end to his Fratton Park career.
Certainly the Blues are well-stocked for goalkeepers, with Nicolas Schmid, Josef Bursik and Ben Killip on their books, while Toby Steward is presently starring for long-time Scottish Championship leaders St Johnstone.
Archer, who has featured just three times since arriving on the south coast in June 2024, knows that unless he moves next month, he will remain unregistered and unable to play for the remainder of the season.
Two Pompey appearances since July 2024
In the case of Farrell, he remains highly regarded at Fratton Park, yet an injury-ravaged last 18 months has inevitably raised questions on whether he can be relied on.
Indeed, Mousinho is adamant he wants another left-back in January to provide cover and competition for Connor Ogilvie, who himself has been out since the start of November.
Farrell has still to return to full training as he battles a persistent groin problem and, crucially, is presently taking up a registration slot in the 25-man squad which can be allotted elsewhere.
Alternatives for the Blues would be either to loan out the 23-year-old or simply not register him when the squad list is re-submitted once the next transfer window ends, thereby allowing him more time to recover.
The left-back is contracted until the summer of 2028, with plenty of time to add to a disappointing return of two Blues appearances.
Miserable start to Fratton Park life
As for Le Roux, it has been a miserable start to life at Fratton Park for the midfielder, who has lost his squad place with South Africa’s national side after struggling to feature for Pompey.
Since being hauled off at half-time at Hull on November 8, the 25-year-old hasn’t made another appearance, finding himself either unused off the bench or left out of the match-day squad entirely over the subsequent eight games.
He was among Pompey’s substitutes by default on Monday night against Charlton, with Colby Bishop pulling out during the pre-match warm-up with an ankle injury.
The centre of midfield is an area which desperately requires attention in the transfer window and, with Le Roux currently well out of contention, his chances will hardly improve when new players are added.
Like Farrell, a loan or not registering Le Roux are options. Although, with South Africa having qualified for the 2026 World Cup finals, he is well aware he desperately needs matches to force his way back into the international squad.
Meanwhile, Pompey have eight youngsters which fall into the category of under-21 players. As a result, they don’t take up a place in the 25-man squad.
It means that even should the likes of Makenzie Kirk, Hayden Matthews, Franco Umeh or Thomas Waddingham be loaned out, it wouldn’t create another slot to be utilised.
Besides, three of them featured in Monday night’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Charlton, while Waddingham is presently sidelined until February with a thigh injury.