Why Danny Cowley fears Charlton could provide unwanted transfer window distraction for Portsmouth

The window closes at 11.59pm on Monday, January 31 – the same evening the Blues host Charlton in a televised fixture.

Wary of a potential clash and keen not to split his focus, Cowley wants his transfer work completed the previous day.

Certainly he doesn’t wish for late transfer business to intrude on preparation for the Addicks’ visit – or even in-game action.

Cowley told The News: ‘There are 11 days to go in the January transfer window, although I call it 10 because we are obviously playing (Charlton) on that 11th day.

‘We would like to do our work before then if at all possible.

‘We want to bring one or two more in, that is for sure, and are really pleased with the business we’ve done so far.

‘We have worked really hard – not just on the ins, but also the outs – to put ourselves in this position where we believe we’re in a position of strength. We will see what the next 11 days have in store.

‘It’s 11 days, but to me it’s only 10 days because on that 11th day I want to be concentrating on Charlton. So, in an ideal world, we would have done all of our business prior to that day.

‘That’s what I’d like, sometimes it’s not always on your terms, so we’ll have to wait and see.’

Mahlon Romeo arrived at Fratton Park on loan from Millwall on the final day of the summer transfer window.

Meanwhile, Miguel Azeez landed from Arsenal the previous day, representing two recruits in the last two days of the market.

So far Pompey have added loanees Hayden Carter and Tyler Walker to their squad during January, with both recruited in the last week.

Although how the latter stages of this window unfolds is a little tricky to predict.

He added: ‘From my experiences in the transfer window, you never quite know how it’s going to unfold.

‘We’ve got total clarity over the positions we would like to strengthen, we have total clarity over the players and personalities of those players that we’d like to bring in.

‘Whether we can make that happen, only time will tell.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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