Portsmouth boss reveals what excites him most about Cohen Bramall's transfer from Rotherham
John Mousinho has welcomed the competition Cohen Bramall will provide to his Pompey ranks.
The defender has joined the Blues from League One Rotherham for an undisclosed fee and has signed a contract until the end of the season.
The 28-year-old will compete with Conor Ogilvie for the left-back berth - an area Pompey have had little flexibility in this term due to a knee injury picked up by summer arrival Jacob Farrell.
Indeed, Ogilvie has started 28 of the Blues’ 29 Championship fixtures to date, with right-back Jordan Williams filling in for him during a rare day off when the Fratton Park outfit lost to Wycombe Wanderers in the FA Cup earlier this month.
It’s fair to say Pompey’s Mr Reliable will remain Mousinho’s first choice, with the former Gillingham man beginning to feel at home at Chanmpionship level. However, having another body in the building to provide back-up and help raise Ogilvie’s game is something the head coach has welcomed.
Following confirmation of Bramall’s arrival, the Blues boss said: ‘We’re delighted to bring in another player who has plenty of experience competing at this level of the game.
‘We’ve now have real competition in the left-back position and I can’t wait to get started working with Cohen.’
Championship experience
Bramall has featured 21 times for Rotherham in all competitions this season. However, only five of those have come as league starts, with Reece James and Joe Powell often preferred by Millars boss Steve Evans at either left-back or left midfield this term.
The former Lincoln man boasts a wealth of Championship experience, though, having featured 75 times for the New York Stadium outfit in the second tier between 2022-24. A loan spell at Birmingham from Arsenal earlier in his career also brought with it second-tier football for the Crewe-born defender.
Bramall is Pompey’s fifth signing of the January transfer window, with the Blues having already signed Rob Atkinson, Isaac Hayden, Thomas Waddingham and Hayden Matthews.
Mousinho previously played down the need to bring in a left-back this month, with Pompey’s focus over the remaining few days of the transfer window centring of attacking reinforcements and Sunderland’s Adil Aouchiche.
But with Farrell ruled out for the rest of the season and the Blues light in that area, it made sense for Pompey act.
Bramall’s Rotherham contract was due to expire at the end of the season. It’s not clear if the 28-year-old has been registered in time to feature against Burnley on Saturday.