'We made it clear': Portsmouth chief sets record straight on Josh Murphy transfer interest amid Leicester and West Brom links
Pompey stood their ground to ensure Josh Murphy didn’t leave late in the window
Andy Cullen has revealed the truth behind the late transfer window drama surrounding Josh Murphy.
And while he admits there was Championship interest, he is adamant Pompey refused to even consider selling their star winger.
Leicester made an approach for Murphy during the final days of the window, reportedly bidding £2m, as they attempted to strengthen their ambition for an instant Premier League return.
Following Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Preston, John Mousinho made it clear that the classy former Norwich man, who is contracted until the summer of 2027, was not for sale.
As a consequence, out-of-favour pair Abdoulaye Kamara and Tom McIntyre, were the only Fratton Park departures on Monday’s deadline day - with Murphy remaining.
And Cullen insists Pompey stood their ground in light of the late interest.
Portsmouth chief: Josh was not for sale
The Blues chief executive told The News: ‘At that stage of the window, Josh was not for sale. Losing Josh with 3-4 days to go makes us weaker. We weren’t prepared to allow that unless we got absolutely silly money.
‘We were in a situation where we couldn’t entertain any offers - which were or were not made. We’re in a position where we are trying to build something here.
‘We are building a squad now and have really good talented players, so inevitably we’re going to get interest in them. That’s where we are now as a football club.
‘So for us to be entertaining losing any player, we must get the right terms for the football club, not just the fee but making sure you have quality replacements should any player leaves.
‘You need a degree of time to do that, otherwise you are recruiting on the hoof - and that’s not what we are about.
‘Josh just wasn’t for sale. I was quite clear speaking at the Preston game when people were asking me. My message was don’t panic, Josh is not for sale. We are in a position where we don’t want to lose our best players at that stage of the window.’
Portsmouth signed 11 players in the transfer window
While Leicester made an approach for Murphy, another club linked with potential interest was West Brom.
As it panned out, a busy deadline day for Pompey saw four arrivals - Josef Bursik (Club Brugge), Makenzie Kirk (St Johnstone), Franco Umeh (Crystal Palace) and Conor Chaplin (Ipswich).
That totalled 11 new signings over the duration of the summer transfer window, with Adrian Segecic having already made a huge impact.
And with Murphy staying, it represented a hugely positive window for the Blues faithful, whose side are presently eight in the Championship.
‘I am not going to confirm or deny that’
Cullen added: ‘I don’t think that is properly fair to say we received a bid (for Murphy), but we certainly had some interest.
‘If you read the papers there was more than one, but I am not going to confirm or deny that because I can only say what we knew.
‘We had interest, although some things reported were a bit wide of the mark.’