The harsh reality of what this transfer window means for Portsmouth boss

‘With any transfer window you want to come out of it stronger than when you went in,’ Pompey boss Kenny Jackett last week of the winter scrum for players, not for the first time in his managerial tenure.

As ever with the Blues boss it was hard to disagree, but really he could have been any other manager up and down the country saying the same thing while worrying if they've actually made good on that ambition.

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So maybe a statement of the obvious but no less a truism because of it, as Jackett and his recruitment team once more diligently went about their business last month.

Not much has changed about how the club have done their work. The targets have been identified for some time, and Jackett’s minimum requirement has been to know every single player who could be available.

Yet, the reality is this transfer business means so much more for the Pompey boss.

The stakes have never been higher in any of the eight windows Jackett has negotiated, since succeeding Paul Cook in the summer of 2017.

Because the reality is if the business carried out doesn’t contribute to delivering Championship football, he will be looking for a new job by the time next season arrives.

That’s been the noises made since the 59-year-old survived last season’s play-off disappointment, somewhat surprisingly perhaps to even himself.

Back in November 2017, Pompey showed their faith in the man from Hertfordshire by handing him, from leftfield, a two-year extension to his existing agreement just five months after assuming the Fratton hot seat.

Those terms come to a close this summer and with the remit to get the club into the Championship, time is running out.

So eyes are firmly on the four additions arriving this month and what they can offer over the second half of the campaign.

The 11pm close of the window provides the catalyst for League One clubs to forward their list of 22 names to the EFL, with the salary cap and squad restrictions now in force.

Of the options at his disposal at the start of last month, Pompey have lost three players - Bryn Morris, Reeco Hackett-Fairchild and Cam Pring.

Two were looking to move on to get the first-team minutes they weren’t receiving at Fratton.

Pring, meanwhile, once more underline the volatility of loan deals. Like all clubs in the Blues’ position they are a necessary avenue to travel to balance the books, but notoriously unpredictable nonetheless.

That we saw once again as Bristol City saw fit to recall the 23-year-old to cover injuries.

Yet, the addition of Charlie Daniels is widely seen as an upgrade in that department. No surprise there when the 34-year-old was playing Premier League football last season.

Morris’ replacement came in the shape of promising Spurs midfielder Harvey White, a piece of business which arrived with a crackle of excitement two weeks ago.

Jackett took the decision to afford his final squad spot to Exeter’s Lewis Ward last week, as he waited for the prognosis on Alex Bass’ injury.

When it became clear rehabilitation was slow and would include all of February, the pragmatic approach proved the right one when choosing to use the little remaining wriggle room within the £2.5m playing budget on the 23-year-old.

The near unanimous call, however, this month was to recruit a midfield player with the ability to link defence and attack, a player who could drive the team forward. Swansea’s George Byers is that man.

With 57 Championship appearances already on his CV and 35 of those arriving last term as his team finished in the play-offs, the pedigree and potential as a signing are clear.

An assessment of Pompey’s squad and their business suggests they now take on the rest of the campaign with the kind of depth and cover they were looking for.

Is there a like-for-like replacement for Tom Naylor in midfield? Maybe not. Does Jackett have a striker firing on all cylinders? Not at this moment, but he’s not short of options.

With the constraints they have to adhere to, it’s hard to see how the squad could be much better equipped for what lies ahead. And with a beady eye on rival business completed this month, there weren't too many envious glances to cast.

So, returning to Jackett’s assessment of what comprises January window success, a balanced assessment would suggest he’s achieved that aim.

But after three-and-a-half years, so much more is now required for the man guiding this football club.

The real unit of measurement now is positions in the League One table - and there’s only two which can truly guarantee this transfer window is seen as a success.

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