Exclusive:Twelve signings and £11m spent in busy summer, yet pressure growing on Portsmouth recruitment

It was Tyrese Shade who applied the full stop to Pompey’s latest transfer window business, ending a long-running pursuit.

A potential deal for the Burton striker had been scrapped in the final few days of the January window, when the League One club upped their valuation to levels the Blues weren’t comfortable with.

Still, the 26-year-old, who has scored another four goals since then, is finally a Fratton Park player, representing the 12th signing of another busy summer.

Shade and fellow newcomer Jayden Meghoma join a Pompey team which have lost four of their opening five matches of the 2026-27 campaign in all competitions.

Admittedly, these are still early days, yet it is not unreasonable to be concerned over a disappointing start to the campaign for John Mousinho’s men, irrespective of a flood of new faces.

Around £11m spent this summer

In these days of undisclosed transfer fees, it is estimated the Blues have splashed out around £11m on squad strengthening over the summer. Figures unheard of since the Premier League heyday.

What’s more, it’s spending power which hasn’t been supplemented by the sales of prized assets Terry Devlin and Adrian Segecic, although the Callum Lang cash has now been utilised.

Boosted by increased finances, inevitably expectations over Pompey’s Championship season have been raised, likewise Mousinho will be challenged to improve on last term’s 18th placing after receiving the owners’ backing he craved.

Yet it is sporting director Rich Hughes and head of recruitment Brad Wall who will be under the greatest pressure of all as they continue to oversee the Blues’ evolution.

Wall, who was appointed in place of Phil Boardman in May 2024, previously spent 12 months as Manchester City’s Northern UK scouting manager, having also worked at Glasgow Rangers, Liverpool and with England under-19s.

54 players signed by Pompey since summer of 2024

Since Pompey’s return to the Championship, Hughes and Wall have recruited 54 players over five transfer windows, of which 28 have involved transfer fees.

While the Blues have continued to remain at this level, arguably overachieving considering their resources in comparison with others, their player success rate has given course for concern since the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

They rightly set about this summer’s transfer window identifying the necessity for competition for Colby Bishop - now with four goals in his last 50 appearances.

The solution has been Marko Milovanovic and now Shade, although Makenzie Kirk has been shipped out to Barnsley for the season, while Thomas Waddingham is yet again an injury absentee.

It wasn’t until deadline day before a new left-back was finally captured, with Meghoma arriving from the Premier League after previous loan service with Rangers and Preston.

Indeed, Pompey’s need for a left-back addition was glaring since the start of July, when Connor Ogilvie underwent a knee operation and Jacob Farrell suffered yet another injury blow.

Meghoma, a 20-year-old, will now compete with Zak Swanson for the position, while Ogilvie’s absence has been extended after a set-back which required a second operation.

In terms of wingers, youngsters Eoin Kenny and Luke Brooke-Smith had never before featured in the Football League and are very much regarded as development projects. In fairness, both have also shown promising glimpses.

Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, who is aged even younger than the pair, clearly is a player with a big Chelsea future, with the 17-year-old already looking a class act in his four outings to date.

Pompey’s challenge will be to not burn out the left-sided attacker through over-reliance, although he has been withdrawn around the hour mark in all three matches he has started for that very reason.

Completing the four winger signings is Abu Kamara, whose return for a second Fratton Park spell - this time on a permanent basis - has been widely lauded by supporters, despite an underwhelming previous two years.

Defensive concerns

Elsewhere, Pompey’s defence has already been a huge concern and cost Nicolas Schmid and Regan Poole their regular starting spots.

Daniel Bielica, recruited from NEC Breda, replaced Schmid in Tuesday night’s 2-0 defeat to Derby for his debut, yet was at fault for the opener. Perhaps understandable considering the circumstances, he also looked nervous on the ball.

The back four that night also included summer recruit Benjy Arthur, on loan from Brentford, and January signing Madiodio Dia in only his sixth start in English football, thereby lacking crucial experience at Championship level.

In terms of the centre of midfield, Rocco Shein enjoyed a fine debut at West Ham in the Carabao Cup, yet, two games later, was dropped to the bench, with Marlon Pack and Ebou Adams preferred as a partnership.

Odin Bailey, a free transfer from Stockport, has totalled just 12 minutes of Championship action so far, while Iyad Mohamed, a purchase from Portuguese side Casa Pia, featured off the bench for his debut against the Rams.

Overall, of the 12 summer signings, six have never played in England before, five are aged 20 and below and one has been playing in League One this term.

Inevitably, patience is required, with many of the newcomers needing time to bed in and adjust to the challenge of the Championship, particularly those from overseas who haven’t even had a pre-season with the Blues.

Yet doubts among supporters over the quality of recruitment - and Mousinho - are beginning to grow. As ever, time will tell.

Your Next Pompey Read: John Mousinho explains Portsmouth defender's surprise Derby County absence