Portsmouth boss urges transfer realism amid low-key start to summer recruitment drive

It has been 11 days since the transfer window reopened, with former Barnsley right-back Jordan Williams the sole new arrival to date.

This time last year, the Blues had landed six fresh faces, of which Christian Saydee, Terry Devlin and Anthony Scully required fees.

Others also through the door during a racing start to the 2023 summer window were Will Norris, Conor Shaughnessy and Ben Stevenson, all signed on free transfers.

Mousinho is realistic that, 12 months on, the circumstances have changed considerably, with the Blues now a Championship club and facing tougher opposition in the fight for players.

Nonetheless, they won the battle for Williams - and he is comfortable with how the player hunt is faring.

The head coach told The News: ‘There is a huge amount that we know behind the scenes and we feel we’re in a really, really strong position.

‘I know that is contrasting to last year in terms of the amount of business which has been done, but it has been no surprise to us.

‘First of all it has been a really slow transfer window for everybody and, secondly, the circumstances around where we are this year are different to last year.

‘We have gone up a league and the competition for signing players has changed. It probably comes as no surprise that, at the top end of League One, Pompey as a pull and club size is a massive attraction for players.

‘That remains the case in the Championship, the size of the club, its history, Fratton Park, everything is a massive pull for players - but we are now competing with a few different clubs.

‘Almost every club in the Championship is massive in terms of size, stadium history, being established in the Championship for a while.

‘We are working hard to make sure players know what they’re getting into when they come down here and that’s different to last year. Looking at it, 12 months ago we were competing with a completely different set of clubs to sign players.’

Williams arrived on the opening day of the transfer window, having beaten off the likes of Cardiff for his services.

And Mousinho is encouraged by the success in the face of multiple Championship rivals.

He added: ‘It’s no surprise to us that Jordan was attracting so much attention.

‘He’s had a fantastic career so far at 24 and played a huge amount of games, including two seasons in the Championship.

‘Jordan was a player that had a lot of interest and we had to work hard to get his signature, particularly because he spent the majority of his career up in Yorkshire.

‘To get him to come down with a young family is a sign of where we’re going as a football club.’