Exclusive:'There's absolutely no issue' - Portsmouth boss' frank admission after important squad issue raised
John Mousinho is currently with his Pompey squad in Ireland as they step up their pre-season preparations
John Mousinho remains relaxed over the size of his bulging Pompey squad number.
The Blues boss said the number of first-team players that are currently registered with the club doesn’t bother him.
And that’s despite the Fratton Park side having a number of new signings in the pipeline.
Championship clubs are required to operate with a 25-man squad list that is updated at the end of each transfer window, with under-21 players not counting towards that total.
At present, only Toby Steward, Franco Umeh, Thomas Waddingham and latest signing Eoin Kenny fall into that latter category for the forthcoming campaign.
However, 26-year-old Odin Bailey’s arrival on a free transfer last week took the number of over-21s in Mousinho’s ranks to 26 - one more than the specified number allowed to be called upon.
Previously, Pompey have simply not registered some players as a result of the limit imposed, leaving them to watch on from the stands.
That prospect awaits the injured Mark Kosznovszky in September, with the Hungarian midfielder not expected back until the end of the year following his ACL injury.
But to avoid numerous players being made redundant playing-wise while their team-mates get on with their Championship duties, Pompey’s numbers need trimming, especially when further additions, including Rocco Shein and Marko Milovanic, are on the way.
As you would expect, Mousinho is well aware of that. However, there’s no indication it’s something he’s presently worrying about with 32 days left before the 2026-27 campaign kicks off.
Mousinho: ‘We’re going to have outs and we’re going to have ins’
Mousinho was asked about his squad’s current size by The News on the Blues’ pre-season training camp in Ireland.
In response, he said: ‘It's not a concern of mine at all at the minute because we're going to have outs and we're going to have ins, so at the minute I look at where we are and it doesn't even bother me.
‘There's no, there's absolutely no issue because there's going to be a lot of change between now and the start of the season.So that's not a concern at all.’
Potential ins and outs at Pompey
The impending arrivals of Shein and Milovanovic, both aged 22, would take the number of senior players on Pompey’s books to 28.
But with the Blues open to offers for defensive duo Ibane Bowat and Jacob Farrell, irrespective of Connor Ogilvie’s injury, a clear pathway to reduce that figure exists.
As well as Bowat, another central defender could still leave before the transfer window closes on Tuesday, September 1, with Pompey presently boasting six specialist centre-backs.
Meanwhile, there’s no guarantee Jordan Williams will extend his stay at Fratton Park into a third year, with the former Barnsley captain understood to be keen on getting more regular game time.
Colby Bishop was linked with a move to Sheffield Wednesday last month, while Mousinho has previously spoken on the likelihood of both Segecic and Terry Devlin attracting interest.
The current transfer window remains open for another eight weeks, which means there’s plenty of time for the ‘ins and outs’ Mousinho spoke about to be sorted.
For your next Pompey read: John Mousinho delivers Portsmouth transfer update with Blues eyeing more player business