'Loved by everybody': Portsmouth skipper on why John Mousinho's so special - and why he'll get interest this summer
The influential midfielder has spent the last three-and-a-half years as Blues captain under the head coach
Marlon Pack believes Pompey should be braced to receive summer interest in John Mousinho.
When assessing the ‘magnificent job’ the 40-year-old continues to perform at Fratton Park, the Blues’ skipper is adamant there will be admiring glances from other clubs.
Long-time suitors Bristol City have already been linked, while currently there are also vacancies at Watford, Sheffield Wednesday and Leicester City.
Mousinho, who is contracted for another two years after signing his most recent deal in September 2024, has given no indication he is seeking to leave Pompey.
Indeed, speaking to The News on Saturday, he insisted he was encouraged by recent discussions with owners Tornante over the club’s direction, having previously publicly raised questions about their ambition.
And the player who knows Mousinho better than anyone feels it’s inevitable there will now be approaches for the highly-regarded head coach this summer.
‘We are very lucky to have him at this football club’
He told The News: ‘I have probably run out of superlatives in terms of the gaffer as a person and what he has done for this football club.
‘You look at what he has delivered in three-and-a-half years as a manager, as a coach, and he’s done a magnificent job. He is such a pleasure to work with, who articulates himself perfectly.
‘I think the gaffer has an absolutely massive future in terms of being a young English manager - and we are very lucky to have him at this football club.
‘You can be diplomatic about the answer, but I expect there will be interest in him this summer.
‘If I was in my prime as a player, with three good seasons as a 25-year-old, I would expect that to happen. Considering the good job he has done, it’s part of the territory, it’s the nature of the beast.
‘The gaffer deserves to be complimented and have admirers because he has done a magnificent job here. We’ve gone from strength to strength as a football club during his time here and it’s no coincidence.
‘He’s an exceptional coach and manager - and a huge reason for being where we are. In terms of the job he has done, it speaks for itself.
‘I don’t know what's going to happen with the gaffer, but Portsmouth Football Club are in a better position if he’s in charge, that’s for sure.’
Certainly he is eager to continue serving his boyhood club under Mousinho, the man who made him Pompey captain in January 2023 for his first match as head coach.
Few in the dressing room are as qualified as Pack to analyse the talents of the former Stevenage defender, having also briefly played together at Wycombe 13 years ago.
And he continues to be impressed by a Blues boss who has captured the League One title and overseen two successful Championship relegation battles during his time on the south coast.
‘He’s loved by everyone’
Pack added: ‘With modern-day coaches, you may have preconceptions that they are so strong willed and so adamant in how they want to play. Yet the gaffer will try to find a solution to win games, he doesn’t care what it looks like.
‘He will have a playing preference, but he is constantly evolving, trying to find a solution to a game of football, but also the way he conducts himself with the group and the staff. He’s loved by everyone.
‘The gaffer’s got a lot of strengths as a human being, but also as a coach and a manager. There are so many different roles to that, so many fires he’s putting out.
‘The growth with him in charge could be huge. The biggest credit I can give him is I have been in dressing rooms where results have not gone well and naturally players will start questioning the management team - there hasn’t been any of that at all this season.
‘That speaks volumes of how well he is respected in the dressing room - and how much the lads appreciate the job he’s doing.’