Young guns help Pompey fight transfer changes

And Pompey chief executive Mark Catlin predicts it is going to have a ‘massive’ impact on the clubs in its lower echelons.

But he is confident the Blues can withstand the emergency loan window being scrapped from next season.

The change is likely to have a big impact on the way clubs conduct their business, as signings are restricted to the summer and January windows.

But Catlin feels the flow of youngsters from the Academy into the first-team set-up is a big weapon in their favour.

He said: ‘It’ll impact Pompey. It’ll impact every single club.

‘I think it will have a massive effect – and I don’t think people realise how big an effect it will have.

‘You’d hope it wouldn’t impact as much on us because we should, by what the fans have given us, have significant depth in our squad. I wouldn’t say our squad would be a lot bigger, though.

‘You have to look at the work the Academy has done over the years. Huge praise to them.

‘That’s the underbelly of Pompey lads coming though the Academy, who will form part of the squad.

‘The Conor Chaplins, Brandon Haunstrups, Ben Closes, Adam Mays and whoever else.

‘They are all bordering first-team players now, even though they are very good. They are all still teenagers but I’d anticipate them having a big part to play.

‘It’s a massive plus to have them come through the Academy because there is no emergency loan market. So they will have to be utilised.

‘For smaller clubs it will be difficult. Very, very difficult.’

Top-scorer Marc McNulty was one of the players Pompey recruited on an emergency loan in the last campaign.

The likes of Ryan Allsop, Aaron McCarey and Caolan Lavery were others.

Catlin feels the whole way in which clubs structure their squads could now have to be reconsidered.

He added: ‘Every club uses it and why wouldn’t you?

‘It comes to September or October and a player comes up, even if you don’t have an injury you look to strengthen.

‘A player becomes available from a Championship or Premier League club and is out to get some game time.

‘Clubs look to use it and fair play to them.

‘We can still do season-long loans and window-to-window loans like September to January or January to May.

‘What we can’t do in October or November is get people on 30-day loans.

‘A lot of clubs don’t have the resources to have that depth, so they put their money into the starting XI.

‘That’s their strategy. And, as and when they get injuries, they can dip into the emergency loan market.

‘This year they can’t have that.

‘It wasn’t what the Football League wanted.

‘It was a Fifa directive. We were one of the only countries who allowed it.

‘They are trying to harmonise throughout.

‘We were out on a limb as a country who allowed it and they wanted to abolish it.’