Portsmouth boss targeting unveiling more transfer business in time for huge Southampton clash
The Blues have added two new signings to their squad in the January transfer window
John Mousinho is ‘hopeful’ Pompey will have a new signing in place for the eagerly-awaited south-coast derby.
Although he has ruled out any transfer business being concluded before Wednesday night’s trip to Watford (7.45pm).
The Blues have already added Millenic Alli and Ebou Adams to their squad, with the pair both featuring in Saturday’s 1-0 success at Sheffield Wednesday.
Yet Mousinho still wants up to four more recruits, with Pompey precariously placed above the Championship relegation zone, despite having claimed 11 points from a possible 18 of late.
And he is pinpointing more player business being completed in time to be involved in Southampton’s Fratton Park visit on Sunday.
‘You never know, it is still very, very quiet’
He told The News: ‘I don’t think we’ll have anything before Wednesday. Hopefully before Sunday, but you never know. It is still very, very quiet in general on the transfer front.
‘We had two which came in last week, so we managed to get two deals done. We had been interested in Ebou for a long time, two years, but the last few windows it has never come up as a possibility. But this time it was one that we thought might be possible.
‘We are not obsessed with getting one in before Southampton, because it might not happen, so we aren’t relying on anything there, but last weekend we saw the boost that can have.
‘We had Ebou coming in and having an impact and also enabling us to move Zak to left-back. Milli set up the goal and had a good impact, particularly at the minute where we are short on wingers.
‘We will have to keep going, keep searching and see where we are before Southampton.’
£500,000 recruit from Derby County
Adams represents the Blues’ latest signing, having joined from Derby for £500,000 last Friday.
It finally ended a long-running pursuit for Mousinho, who admits he tried to sign the hard-working central midfielder while a Cardiff player two years earlier.
And Pompey’s head coach believes that transfer demonstrates why patience - and outside factors - can be crucial in securing key deals.
‘We weren’t quite sure whether he was going to be available’
He added: ‘I spoke to John (Eustace) after we played Derby in December. At the time, Ebou was club captain and, although he didn't play in the game at their place, he was still playing plenty in between.
‘It was a bit of a fluid situation, we weren’t quite sure whether he was going to be available or not, even into January he was playing games. He played 90 minutes in a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough, while came on at half-time against Leeds in the FA Cup.
‘Then, all of a sudden, Derby brought in a new central midfielder (Oscar Fraulo), Lewis Travis got back fit and Ebou was available. So those sorts of things have a massive knock-on effect in everything we are waiting on.
‘Last week all of a sudden we got two done - and we’re going to keep trying to add and go from there.’
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