Portsmouth boss John Mousinho explains transfer decision taken on Brentford defender and former Celtic loanee Benjamin Arthur
John Mousinho has welcomed newest addition Benjamin Arthur to Fratton Park
John Mousinho has shared his initial thoughts on Pompey’s latest signing, Benjamin Arthur.
The Blues completed a loan move for the Brentford centre-back on Wednesday morning, which means the 20-year-old will be eligible for Saturday’s Championship opener against QPR at Fratton Park.
He’s the eighth new arrival through the doors at Fratton Park this summer and takes the number of specialised centre-backs in the first-team ranks back up to six, following last week’s departure of Ibane Bowat to League One Huddersfield.
At present, Arthur will compete with Regan Poole, Conor Shaughnessy, Jojo Dia, Hayden Matthews and Josh Knight for a Pompey starting place.
And that’s something Mousinho fully expects of the England under-20 international who has just nine senior appearances under his belt at club level for the Bees and former loan club Celtic, whom he spent the second half of last season with.
Indeed, the head coach is convinced Arthur has all the attributes to make the Blues defensively stronger after conceding 64 goals in the Championship last season.
Speaking to the club website, Mousinho said: ‘We’re thrilled to bring Benjamin here for the season to boost our defensive ranks.
‘He possesses all the attributes you expect of a centre-back and is also more than comfortable with the ball at his feet.
‘Despite his relatively young age, he already has experience of top-flight football and we feel he can be a real asset as we look to progress in our third season in the Championship.’
Arthur’s latest taste of match action was on Saturday when he appeared as a 74th-minute substitute in Brentford’s pre-season friendly win against Rennes on Saturday.
The centre-back will wear the number two shirt during his Fratton Park stay.