Why Portsmouth and not Sheffield United was the place for new boy after QPR exit

And the new boy told Mousinho’s clear vision for his Blues role this season, persuaded him Fratton Park and not Sheffield United was the best setting to further his career.

Dozzell arrived on a 12-month deal earlier this month, despite the man who left QPR in the summer joining the Blades on trial in pre-season.

The 25-year-old featured under Chris Wilder in warm-up games, and it’s believed there would have been a deal in the offing for him at Bramall Lane.

That was dragging on, however, and allowed Pompey to nip in bolster their options in the middle of the park.

Dozzell said: ‘This is a great club and I feel that it’s the right step to me. Once I spoke to the gaffer, my mind was pretty much made up about what I wanted to do - I wanted to be here.

‘The manager made it clear where he saw me and how he saw me fitting in, and that pretty much made my mind up.

‘It wasn’t even a week (the deal took to happen), it took a few days. If you’re a free agent you don’t have to talk to any clubs.

‘I enjoyed it there (at Sheffield United), because the gaffer obviously wanted me there and invited me in to train and play games for a couple of weeks.

‘But they are in the middle of a takeover, so things then became complicated.

‘So after speaking to the gaffer here, I felt that I couldn’t wait any longer really because it was getting closer to the start of the season. I didn’t really need to wait though anyway, after speaking to the gaffer here I already had my mind made up really.

‘Exactly (Mousinho made him feel part of things), I’m 25 now and it’s very important for me to kick on now. I feel like I’ve got a lot of experience in the Championship now, so coming here I feel I can help short term but I’m here to play games and do my best.’

Dozzell has offered a reassuring presence for Pompey in their opening two Championship fixtures, dovetailing alongside Marlon Pack at the base of midfield.

The man who spent the second half of last season with Birmingham feels there’s a lot of scope to improve, however, as he develops his fitness.

Dozzell added: ‘Hopefully there’s still a lot more to come from me, because I’m still not match fit and I’m getting sharper as the weeks ago. Hopefully I will be able to show what I can do pretty soon.’