Portsmouth boss eyes pathway to Rob Atkinson deal as Bristol City man prepares for emotional Fratton send-off
John Mousinho admitted there’s a stack of variables to sealing a permanent deal for Rob Atkinson as he prepares for his Pompey farewell.
But the Blues boss remains hopeful of sealing a return for the Championship survival hero, as he plays the final game of his Fratton stay against Hull City.
Mousinho underlined the sentiment outlined by sporting director Rich Hughes this week, with there a lot of ‘moving parts’ in seeing an Atkinson move to PO4 to fruition.
Bristol City are pushing for a place in the Premier League via the play-offs, with promotion for the Robins likely the clearest pathway to seeing a Pompey return.
Their coach, Liam Manning is staying open-minded on the issue, though he praised Mousinho and his club for their handling of the former Oxford United man.
The Blues boss admitted to being slightly conflicted about what happens with Atkinson moving forward, though his clear preference remains a Pompey return.
He said: ‘People know what I think of Rob, hence why we tried so hard to get him back for the past four games.
‘I think there’s a lot of moving parts to that because Bristol City are in the play-off places, but we have a very good relationship with the football club, with (technical director) Brian (Tinnion), Liam (Manning) and the staff there.
‘So that’s something that will naturally evolve from Bristol City’s standpoint over the summer. We’d like to think we’d hopefully be at the front of the queue.
‘There’s almost part of me that wants Rob to go back and play for Bristol City, because he deserves it. There’s also part of me that hopes they decide, like they did in January, that he’s a player that might be able to come here.
‘I think, whatever happens with Rob, I hope he plays next year and he does really well - hopefully that’s for us.’
Mousinho: Huge Burnley, Sheff Utd, Boro and Stoke impacts
An appearance against Hull would be the 15th of Atkinson’s Pompey stay, a return coming off the back of nearly two years out with a serious ACL knee injury.
The 26-year-old has epitomised the selfless attitude Mousinho wants from his side, while importantly contributing to the wins which have kept Pompey in the Championship.
Mousinho added: ‘We’re very grateful for what Rob’s done here in the first place.
‘He came in, made an impact in the side and was a big part of that turnaround when he first started playing those full games.
‘We’re looking at Burnley, Sheffield United, Middlesbrough and Stoke - he made a huge impact.
‘He was very, very good in all of those, so we’re extremely grateful for what Rob’s done and I think the Derby game is one which will always stand out in everyone’s memory.
‘He was a loan player we rushed back who was pencilled in for 15 or 20 minutes that game - and played 105 minutes, scored three goals and two of them were for us!’