LATEST: Portsmouth boss’ contract details revealed as reasons given over wait for deal
John Mousinho has confirmed the extent of his new Pompey commitment as he targeted Championship consolidation.
And the Blues boss promised the wait to agree new terms after guiding his club to the League One title was never an issue, as he detailed the factors which delayed the agreement being confirmed over the summer.
Mousinho’s new deal was sealed last Friday along with news of sporting director Rich Hughes inking ‘extensions to their existing long-term contracts’.
The head coach told The News today that, in his case, that means his agreement now runs until 2028, after originally signing a deal until 2026 when arriving at PO4.
Mousinho feels that can bring stability for both the club and himself with continued growth the aim.
He said: ‘I originally had a contract until 2026 and now I have a contract until 2028.
‘I hope it does bring some certainty, that’s the idea of signing a contract for both parties.
‘We’re committed to each other and looking to build where we are at the football club at the moment.
‘The first 18-20 months at the football club has been amazing and very solid. We now need to consolidate in the Championship and continue from there
‘It’s really important for Portsmouth to do that at this level - and then take it step by step.
‘We had a lot of time to consolidate in League One, too much time, but the building blocks are in place, by the time we challenged for the title we were ready.
‘We had the new training ground facilities and Fratton Park, all of these things are really important. Doing that with the right people in place and doing that with the same people in place is really important.’
Despite having to wait for news of an extended commitment, Mousinho explained talks have been going on across the summer.
But the Pompey boss felt other issues had to be prioritised, as his club readied themselves for the Championship.
Mousinho added: ‘We had discussions going over the summer, but it wasn’t going to be the priority.
‘It was such a busy summer in terms of recruitment, planning, moving into the training ground and getting everyone into the building.
‘We were working on things, but it wasn’t the priority. We knew both parties wanted to get something done, so it was never an issue.
‘It was straightforward and we were delighted to get it done in the time we did.’