‘There is no player in world football’: The exceptional Portsmouth man turning heads after latest showing
Josh Murphy has registered five assists for Pompey in the Championship this season.
There is no player better who can cross the ball better than Josh Murphy in world football.
That is the resounding verdict of George Elek from the respected Not The Top 20 Podcast, who is adamant the winger is one of the best players in the Championship.
The 30-year-old showcased his outstanding abilities once again on Saturday, with Callum Lang firing home from his pinpoint cross to level against Blackburn Rovers at Fratton.
It represented Murphy’s fifth assist of the campaign to date, which takes his tally up to 19 following his arrival in June 2024 - the most of any Championship player since the start of the 2024-25 season.
No player better than Josh Murphy in world football
And Elek has firmly placed the Pompey talent among some of the best assist makers in world football after his latest dazzling display.
Speaking on the latest episode, he said: ‘The goal that put Blackburn ahead was a brilliant goal by Ohashi, I didn’t really know he had this in him.
‘Gets the ball on the left-hand side, runs past the defender, cuts inside onto his right foot and bends it into the right-hand corner. It was brilliant.
‘And then there is no player in world football who pulls off assists like Josh Murphy does.
‘It makes me put my head in my hands. This was another one again, it’s frankly outrageous that he’s right footed.
‘The interesting thing about this is that he did the trademark picking the ball up on the left-hand side was drifting inside onto his right foot.
‘You could obviously see that he wasn’t going to get the space to get a shot off so he went back onto his left foot and put in one of those crosses where he contorts his whole body to make the cross pinpoint, rapid and it’s impossible to defend against.
‘It evades the Blackburn backline and Callum Lang is there at the backpost to profit from just another outrageous bit of skill from a player, whose talent is basically beyond anyone at this level for creating chances from that area.
‘I know Pompey fans feel like he should be doing it more often and I get that and I know from personal experience that Murphy isn’t doing it consistently but I also firmly believe that if there is one player that is going to help Portsmouth out of this relegation scrap then it will be Josh Murphy.
‘Lang finished it off well and then just a free header for Ibane Bowat from a corner that he headed home to secure the three points.’
Pompey’s triumph over Blackburn ‘most significant in Championship’
And Elek believes the Blues’ triumph was ‘the most significant result in the Championship over the weekend.’
‘I think this might be the most significant result in the Championship over the weekend.
‘At 1-0 down, Pompey at home staring down the barrel of another defeat against a side around them in the league table.
‘So to pull it back is huge for John Mousinho, it’s huge for Rich Hughes, it’s huge for the fans and it’s huge for the club.
‘Had they lost this game I think it would’ve started to get pretty heated or certainly the fan base would’ve looked - as is always the case when things aren't going as you’d expect and relegation looms - you demand change.
‘There’s only so many things you can change.’
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