The final eight days of the summer transfer window are expected to be extremely busy for Portsmouth FC, as head coach John Mousinho continues working to strengthen and reshape his squad before the September 1 deadline. With the transfer market entering its decisive final week, Pompey are preparing for significant activity involving both new signings and player departures.
Portsmouth have already completed nine signings during the summer transfer window. The new arrivals are Odin Bailey, Eoin Kenny, Rocco Shein, Marko Milovanovic, Daniel Bielica, Luke Brooke-Smith, Abu Kamara, Benjy Arthur and Ryan Kavuma-McQueen. Despite these additions, Mousinho is still expected to bring in more players as he looks to complete his squad for the season ahead.
There have also been several departures. Makenzie Kirk, Toby Steward and Jordan Williams have all left the club on loan, while Ibane Bowat completed a permanent move to Huddersfield Town earlier in August.
Potential new signings
Mousinho has indicated that Portsmouth could sign at least three more players before the transfer window closes. Although he has not publicly revealed every position he wants to strengthen, the areas of need appear to be relatively clear.
One of the club’s main priorities is signing a left-back. This need has become more urgent because Connor Ogilvie and Jacob Farrell are currently unavailable due to knee and groin injuries respectively. Their absence has forced Zak Swanson to fill in at left-back during Portsmouth’s opening three matches.
Portsmouth are reportedly interested in Sheffield United full-back Rhys Norrington-Davies and have approached the Blades about the possibility of taking him on loan. Another player being considered is highly rated Liverpool youngster Luke Chambers, although Portsmouth could face competition from Blackburn Rovers for his signature.
The club are also searching for a central midfielder, particularly a defensive or holding midfielder capable of playing in the number six position. Portsmouth had been looking for someone to fill this role earlier in the summer, but their proposed move for Antalyaspor midfielder Jesper Ceesay did not materialise.
Wolves midfielder Boubacar Traore has also been linked with a potential move to Fratton Park. Reports have suggested that Portsmouth may be interested in signing the 25-year-old on loan. However, Wolves are believed to prefer a permanent sale as they look to end his difficult and frustrating four-year spell at Molineux.
In addition, Mousinho wants to add a versatile attacking player following Thomas Waddingham’s recent injury. The ideal signing would be someone capable of playing in several positions across the forward line. Burton Albion’s Tyrese Shade is one of the players who has been linked with Portsmouth as the club searches for greater attacking depth.
Players who could leave
While supporters are naturally interested in who might arrive, Portsmouth also have an important task of reducing the size of their squad before the transfer deadline.
The club currently have 33 senior players, excluding Tayo Singerr. Franco Umeh, Thomas Waddingham, Eoin Kenny and Luke Brooke-Smith are classified as under-21 players, meaning they do not count in the same way towards the EFL’s 25-man senior squad limit.
Nevertheless, Mousinho will need to reduce the number of senior players in his squad. If Portsmouth fail to do so, some players could be left out of the registered 25-man EFL squad for the first half of the season.
Among the players Portsmouth are reportedly keen to move on before September 1 are goalkeeper Josef Bursik, left-back Jacob Farrell and midfielder Luke Le Roux. Hayden Matthews is also expected to leave temporarily on loan. The club hope that a loan move will give the Australian defender more regular first-team football and valuable match experience away from Fratton Park.
Harvey Blair’s future is another situation being closely watched. The winger is now in the final year of his contract, and Mousinho is reportedly willing to consider allowing him to leave. The former Liverpool youngster has attracted interest from clubs including Widzew Łódź, Servette and Ferencváros, and he could potentially depart either on a permanent transfer or on loan.
Meanwhile, injured Hungarian midfielder Mark Kosznovszky will not be included in Portsmouth’s 25-man EFL squad for the first half of the season. He is continuing his recovery from a serious knee injury and is not expected to return to first-team action until around January.
Overall, Portsmouth are heading into the final days of the transfer window with considerable work still to do. The club are looking to make several more signings—particularly at left-back, in defensive midfield and in attack—while also needing to reduce the size of the squad through permanent transfers and loan moves. The coming week is therefore likely to be one of intense negotiations and significant activity as John Mousinho attempts to finalise his squad before the September 1 deadline.
