‘Nowhere near’: Eisner, Mousinho and Portsmouth transfer chiefs sent clear message as January importance grows
Pompey currently sit 21st in the Championship after an underwhelming start to the season.
The January transfer window will be ‘huge’ for everyone associated with Pompey.
That’s the no-nonsense verdict of The News’ chief sports writer Neil Allen, who has signalled the importance of the winter market as make or break for the Blues.
It’s been a disappointing start to the campaign for John Mousinho’s men, who are hovering just above the Championship relegation zone in 21st position.
The head coach has already highlighted his intent to recruit as many as six new faces this month, while exits are on the cards too - starting with Minhyeok Yang’s return to Spurs.
With areas across the board in need of urgent attention, Allen has reiterated the importance of the window for chairman Michael Eisner, sporting director Rich Hughes, head of recruitment Brad Wall and Mousinho to keep a fragile Fratton faithful on side.
Importance of January window made clear for Pompey
Speaking on the latest episode of Pompey Talk, our chief sports writer shared his thoughts on the current situation. He said: ‘We’ve been saying this every time we do these chats, we’ve written about it loads of times as well.
‘We’ve been banging on about what Pompey need to do in this transfer window, it’s obvious what they need to do. We’ve said it time and time again.
‘Pompey need a centre forward, they need two central midfielders, they need a right winger, they need a left-back and maybe, if there’s enough money in the budget, a centre-half depending on injuries. They’re the headline things they need.
‘It’s big for the owners without doubt because people are losing belief. They’re losing belief in this model, this project, their vision for the future.
‘There’s no point throwing that out to appease people, you have to actually mean it and be realistic.
‘And Pompey are nowhere near having the model or having the club to get back into the Premier League. I’m being realistic, that's a fact, so I don’t think he should be saying things like that, keep it real, keep it truth.
‘It is big for them to show the fans that they mean business and that money needs to be spent. It’s huge for them. It’s huge for Rich Hughes. It’s huge for Brad Wall.
‘Brad Wall came to the club in the summer of 2024, he’s been here for 18 months and how many great signings that have come in in that time, not too many.
‘Rich Hughes as well because he’s the head, he’s the sporting director. It’s a big one for him because people have lost faith in the recruitment made last summer.
‘It’s proven you have to give players time and they’ve had time, they’ve had appearances and now we can judge them fairly.
‘We are now in a good position to fairly assess the transfer window in the summer and it wasn’t good enough. Players coming in didn’t replace the quality of players that departed, some positions weren’t even filled.
‘Brad Wall and Rich Hughes also need to win back the trust of the Pompey fans after that one.
‘John Mousinho, of course, he’s coming under more criticism as well. He’s the manager of a team that are struggling again. That’s another one for him as well.
‘It’s a huge window for all these people.’