After lifting the League One crown and securing their place back in the Championship at the end of last season, the Blues immediately got down to work on what the make-up of their first-team options would look like for life back in the second tier.
And, as we all know, Pompey were ruthless in their decision-making as they parted company will some established Fratton favourites and cut short stays of players who simply weren’t good enough to cut it at a higher level.
In all, 14 players were shown the exit, with 15 brought in the other way to ensure the Blues would be a competitive force in the Championship. That saw sporting director Rich Hughes and his team scour Europe and further afield for quality recruits. It saw the Blues splash the cash on seven new arrivals. It also saw Pompey act quickly in picking up in-demand free agents, with Josh Murphy one of the most sought-after freebies following his heroics for Oxford in the League One play-off final.
That pursuit of additional quality took Pompey right down to the wire, with Fulham centre-back Ibane Bowat signed for a reported £500,000 deal on deadline day. And no doubt head coach John Mousinho will love the opportunity to finally get to work with the majority of his new additions on the training pitch as domestic duties take a break for the start of this season’s international commitments.
There’s a hope we’ll finally see what the Blues truly have up their sleeves for when West Brom visit Fratton Park on Sunday, September 15.
Until then, he’s every bit of senior business Pompey conducted over the summer in order to give them a fighting chance in the Championship.
25. Out - Tino Anjorin
Another loanee Pompey expressed an interest in seeing return. The Chelsea midfielder, however, had other ideas as he signed for Serie A side Empoli last week. | Getty Images
26. In - Freddie Potts
The midfielder joined the Blues on loan from West Ham in the final days of the transfer window. Was named on the bench for Saturday's visit of Sunderland but didn't feature. | Portsmouth FC
27. Out - Gavin Whyte
The winger agreed to the mutual termination of his contract on deadline day - one year after arriving on a free transfer from Cardiff and with two years remaining on his Fratton Park deal. | Jason Brown/ProSportsImages
28. In - Mark O'Mahony
The exciting Brighton youngster was signed on loan last week and could be set to fill the void left by the unfortunate Colby Bishop, who required heart surgery at the beginning of August. | National World