Portsmouth to be denied Hindolo Mustapha repeat visit - if exciting Crystal Palace attacker remains on transfer radar
Pompey boss John Mousinho has checked out Crystal Palace youngster Hindolo Mustapha on numerous occasions - but any plans to do so again will have been put on the backburner
John Mousinho will have to shelve any potential plans he’s made to check in again on exciting Crystal Palace youngster Hindolo Mustapha before the close of the transfer window.
The Pompey boss was spotted in the stands on numerous occasions towards the back end of last season scouting the attacking midfielder as he played a starring role for the Eagles in Premier League 2.
With 10 goals and seven assists from 23 games played - including some spectacular strikes from long range - the 19-year-old was under serious consideration as the Blues quickly got to work on their summer transfer plans in the knowledge that their Championship status was secure with two games of the campaign remaining.
Since then, there’s been no major update on Pompey’s interest in Palace’s under-21 player of the season and an attacking force who was shortlisted for the Premier League 2 player-of-the-year accolade.
Instead, the Blues have brought in attacking-midfield reinforcements in the form of Adrian Segecic and John Swift. They have also addressed their central midfield concerns following last Friday’s signings of Mark Kosznovszky and Luke Le Roux.
More new arrivals are expected before the close of the transfer window on Monday, September 1 (7pm), with Pompey still keen to strengthen their options out wide and to provide further back-up for striker Colby Bishop.
But any thoughts the Fratton Park side might have had to revisit their interest in Mustapha with the help of another scouting trip will need to be cancelled.
That’s because the highly-rated youngster has been ruled out for up to six weeks because of a knee injury - a timeframe that takes him right up to the transfer window deadline.
Crystal Palace youngster Hindolo Mustapha suffers pre-season injury
Mustapha sustained the injury after being invited to train with Oliver Glasner’s FA Cup-winning first-team squad on their return to pre-season.
That saw the teenager come on as a second-half substitute against Millwall on July 12 and set up Jesurun Rak-Sakyi’s winner against the Lions at the Crystal Palace Academy.
Further outings and a place in the squad that is currently in Austria preparing for the start of the new Premier League season was also on the cards for a player who has a year remaining on his existing Palace contract.
Yet those plans were soon scuppered by the injury setback in training that has Mustapha currently receiving treatment back in south London.
Pompey’s interest in Hindolo Mustapha
Pompey’s initial interest in Mustapha was most likely in the form of a temporary move, with the Blues still having five loan places available for their forthcoming Championship campaign.
West Ham midfielder Freddie Potts excelled during his season-long loan stay at Fratton Park last term - as did experienced centre-back Rob Atkinson, who arrived for the second half of the 2024-25 campaign from Bristol City.
Both were able to quickly establish themselves in Mousinho’s first-team plans and make a real contribution to the Blues’ 16th-placed finish.
Yet, while they excelled, the likes of Sammy Silvera (Middlesbrough) or Kaide Gordon (Liverpool) struggled to make any real impact and left PO4 without any form of fanfare.
If Pompey remained keen on Mustapha, he would have a job on his hands competing against Callum Lang, Swift and Segecic for his preferred No10 role.
What John Mousinho has said about Hindolo Mustapha
Speaking about his scouting trip at the end of last season, Mousinho said: ‘He (Mustapha) is contracted to Crystal Palace and, particularly with young lads, you don’t want to create any pressure on the young boys.
‘It’s not the first time I’ve seen Crystal Palace, it’s the fourth time I’ve seen them and it’s not the first time I’ve seen Chelsea.
‘I’ve been to a lot of those games and I’ve really enjoyed them because the standard’s great. You can also get to the games without traffic too, which is always amazing!’
‘It’s an area I’ve watched a lot of games in and will continue watching games in over the coming days.’
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