Exclusive:Portsmouth chief Andy Cullen addresses John Mousinho's Fratton future as supporters fear summer exit
The popular Blues boss has been linked with managerless Bristol City as his reputation soars
Andy Cullen insists Pompey have not received any approaches for John Mousinho.
And while the Blues’ chief executive acknowledges there is likely to be summer speculation over the head coach’s future, he is adamant Mousinho remains ‘committed’ to driving the club forwards.
The Fratton faithful fear their popular boss could be lured away during the close season, with managerless clubs having noted his admirable Pompey achievements.
Previous admirers Bristol City have again been linked, while Watford, Sheffield Wednesday and Leicester City also presently have high-profile vacancies.
Cullen, who oversaw Mousinho and sporting director Rich Hughes being awarded their most recent contracts in September 2024, believes the trio continue to be united in their ambition to progress the Blues.
And he is confident Pompey’s boss will be overseeing a third successive season in the Championship come August.
‘There has been absolutely no contact from other clubs’
Cullen told The News: ‘If you've got really high-performing, talented hard-working individuals in any aspect of the game, there's always going to be speculation. There’s always going to be interest in those individuals.
‘Particularly with players and with managers. When they’re doing well, they are always going to be linked with other football clubs.
‘There has been absolutely no contact from other clubs for John. We are all committed to taking the football club forward and we are working through that particular plan.
‘So I’m speaking with John, I speak with Rich, I speak with the owners so we can all understand where we can take this football club over the next 3-5 years.
‘It’s incumbent on us, as executives of the football club, to share that plan with the owners so they have clarity as to what they want to do - and then we work together to deliver that plan. We all want to go together, there is no dispute about that.
‘I very much hope John will be here for next season, that’s the plan, we are all under contract, but we can never stop speculation.
‘What we are all keen to do is take the football club forward and work together. We are in a unique situation in that we’ve had a head coach for more than three years - and that is pretty unusual in Championship football.
‘But that is because we work together and always take that longer view on having the best people in place to help us get there.’
Having again secured their Championship status, the challenge now facing the Blues hierarchy is how they can progress and match the ambition of Mousinho and supporters.
In the last fortnight, the head coach has spoken openly of his desire to be handed more financial power to continue evolving a Pompey squad which finished 18th in a demanding 2025-26 campaign.
And, according to Cullen, Pompey’s head coach remains instrumental in plotting the club’s future.
‘We are all ambitious to achieve’
He added: ‘After two years in the Championship, we go into a third year - and a question for all of us, and what we are working on, is that plan of where we go next.
‘The key now is what do those next 3-5 years look like, where can we go, where can we take this football club? We are all ambitious to achieve - and that’s right through from John to Rich to myself to the owners.
‘I am blessed that I have some really, really good people around me at the football club and, with any organisation, if you have a plan and you can stick to that plan then you succeed.
‘In football the temptation is always to veer towards short-term without any regard for what happens over the longer-term period and sometimes you have to be brave, you have to be strong and stick to your principles.
‘I know it’s a bit of a cliche, but trusting the process is really, really important in the game. That’s very much some of the instincts you use to justify your decisions, then you stick to that.’