The transfer advantage over Championship rivals John Mousinho’s demanding Portsmouth now utilise

The Blues boss believes his club can steal a march on many of their second-tier opponents, with their destiny next season clear after their impressive march to survival.

Mousinho kept Pompey in the division with two games to go on Monday against Watford, a mightily impressive effort given the difficult start to life in the division following their return after a 12-year absence.

The development gives clarity on the division the head coach’s team will be competing in and consequently the transfer budgets they will be working to.

Mousinho has already confirmed the kitty the football operation will be afforded will increase for the 2025-26 season, and the kind of fees available for players will likewise develop.

Pompey have been working to two lists of potential targets, depending on which division they were operating in, but can now push forward with the path ahead clear.

That’s not the case for all of their rivals in the Championship - an advantage Mousinho wants to make the most of.

He said: ‘We have to be ready, or we will be left behind.

‘The gap between now and the start of the season seems like a long time - but it will go past in the blink of an eye.

‘We’ve got to be ready for everything, we’ve got a 10-day head start on some of the other clubs and we have to make the most of that.

‘We have to try to crack on with everything around the football club as quickly as possible.’

Mousinho: ‘Excited for where we can go’

While Pompey now have the security of being aware where they are going to be playing their football next season, Mousinho has been able to go about his job this term with the relative comfort of knowing his job is safe.

That’s been due to the backing of the Eisners, who have shown unwavering faith in their man and made it clear his job was safe throughout the season.

Mousinho feels that assurance has also afforded an alignment which will help Pompey in the longer term.

He added: ‘Football is a brutal industry, unfortunately people lose their jobs all the time.

‘I had 10 clubs in my career. Sometimes I left clubs and they left me, more often than not it was the latter!

‘That’s the way the industry is, but with the backing the Eisners have shown, the executive and Rich (Hughes) means I’m sat in a position where I’m really excited about where we can go as a football club.’

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