Portsmouth Q&A with Jordan Cross: Will the Eisners spend, Mousinho’s future and when transfers will arrive
Transfer spending, John Mousinho’s future and when will signings arrive? It’s all covered in our latest Pompey Q&A with Blues writer Jordan Cross.
Are the Eisners going to spend any money? Mark Franklin
This is a question which has naturally surfaced many times.
I guess the simple answer is yes, but the supplementary question has to be to what extent are they going to spend?
John Mousinho and the club’s football operation will now have clarity on the conditions they will be working to, ahead of their third season in the Championship.
That will be both in terms of playing budget and furthermore the kitty available in terms of fees.
It’s no secret Pompey’s playing budget last term was in the Championship relegation zone last season - and that was with Sheffield Wednesday in administration.
So it’s not just a case of Pompey increasing their spend - they HAVE TO increase their spending. All the noise surrounding the board is there’s a recognition from them that needs to be the case.
Whether speaking to people connected with Pompey or sources away from Fratton Park, the message is consistent the club are upping their spending.
An interesting suggestion was made to me a few days ago that would likely move them toward the middle of the divisional hierarchy next term.
If that’s the case, I think most supporters would see that as decent progress.
Do you believe JM will stay the full season, if he doesn’t get the budget needs? Shawn Woodward
What is the manager doing next season? We need to know. Ian Forrow
Well the noise surrounding John Mousinho’s future has abated for now - and that’s something to celebrate from this perspective.
Obviously the Bristol City situation dominated and that position has now been filled, with Michael Skubala landing the job at Ashton Gate.
Then there was The News’ report he was being considered as a successor to Mark Robins, if the under-pressure Stoke boss left the Potters.
In the event, they appear to be showing faith in Robins and have brought in Arsenal under-21 coach Max Porter to support him.
We all know Bristol City’s interest in Mousinho, but the intricacies of that saga have not yet truly come to light.
The News are due to sit down with the Pompey boss two weeks today, which will be the first chance to speak to the head coach about the summer’s events.
That should be interesting, because Mousinho has been consistently upfront and honest when speaking to the local press over his future.
It will also be a chance to gauge him over how he sees things moving forward.
My feeling is the 40-year-old will continue to be linked with other clubs all the time his stock is rising, but I also get the feeling he’s staying put for now.
Are we looking to hire a set-piece and an attacking coach? Mark Gibson
Hi Mark, there’s no suggestion of Pompey looking to bring in either a set-piece or attacking coach at present.
I’m guessing the question is because of issues in both of those areas of last season, but Michael Doyle remains the man detailed to focus on set-pieces in his role as first-team coach.
Meanwhile, there’s no one among the current set-up with specific striking duties.
The only appointment expected will be a successor to Zesh Rehman, after he left his position as first-team development coach at the end of last year.
That leaves Doyle assistant head coach, Jon Harley and goalkeeping coach Joe Prodomo as the senior coaches at present.
When can we expect to see players arrive? Sarah Walker
The window is open so we can expect players to be coming through the door now at Pompey, right?
Well, if only it was that straightforward.
How things stand over the transfer window was something I covered in a ‘state of play’ piece at the weekend.
In terms of deals getting done, don’t expect a flood of imminent business.
I think we may see a player or two through the door by the time the group return for pre-season training - which is two weeks today. That’s pretty consistent with how things unfolded last term.
Last year was slightly unusual because the window opened on June 1, shut on June 10, and then reopened on June 15 due to an exceptional registration period related to the FIFA Club World Cup.
Adrian Segecic was the first arrival on June 18, but it was the best part of a month before he was joined by John Swift on July 15.
I get the feeling a lot of the business will be coming from overseas this summer, something I have no issue with if the players are at the required level.
Perhaps those deals not being straightforward to do will be factor in there being a bit of a wait to get business done.