'No we wouldn't' -John Mousinho makes keeper admission as Pompey set to welcome €600,000 arrival to Fratton Park
Daniel Bielica’s imminent Pompey arrival will means the Blues will have four senior keepers on their books
John Mousinho doesn’t foresee four senior goalkeepers remaining on Pompey’s books at the end of the transfer window.
And that opens up the possibility of someone within that department leaving, either on loan or permanently.
At present, the Blues have three keepers on their books, following Toby Steward’s return to Scottish Premiership side St Johnstone on loan last week.
First-choice Nicolas Schmid currently has Josef Bursk and Ben Killip acting as his back-up, although the former is out of action until at least September after damaging his quad against Stoke at the end of last season.
Those ranks are poised to be strengthened in the coming days, with the €600,000 arrival of Daniel Bielica from NAC Breda due to be announced either Monday or Tuesday.
The 27-year-old Polish stopper will provide Schmid with greater competition for the No1 jersey.
But his presence will also see the Blues trim their ranks in that area as the Fratton Park side won’t be registering four keepers in their 25-man squad list for the first half the Championship season.
They didn’t do it last season when Jordan Archer was at the club. And it’s certainly not something they’ll be entertaining this year.
Who leaves remains to be seen. However, it’s safe to say it will be one of either Killip or Bursik leaving before the transfer window closes at 11pm on Tuesday, September 1.
‘We wouldn't want four long term’
Mousinho was asked about his goalkeeping unit on Saturday, after his side’s 1-1 draw with Bristol Rovers in pre-season.
In response to being asked by BBC Radoi Solent whether someone needs to leave once Bielica is confirmed, he said: ‘At the moment we've only got two fit goalkeepers.
‘We always want to have three, so I don't think it's preposterous for us to look to potentially bring one in.
‘We saw at times last year with the injury that Nico picked up (against Southampton) that we need that strength and depth, so it's just all about making sure we have enough players available in those positions.
‘(Would Pompey want four long term?), no, we wouldn't want four long term, but if we're starting the season tomorrow and one of Ben or Nico picks up an injury then we're down to using an academy player on the bench and we need to be strong there.
‘We've shown consistently throughout the two Championship seasons how important it is to have strength and depth in that goalkeeping department.
‘In the first year of the Championship we used three goalkeepers, last year we used three goalkeepers as well so we need to make sure we're solid there.’
For your next Pompey read: 'We had a conversation': Portsmouth boss on why £1m man doesn't have a Fratton Park future