‘Blown out of the water’: Portsmouth boss refuses to be deterred by being priced out for summer transfer targets
Pompey were ‘blown out of the water’ by Championship rivals for summer targets as prices were driven up. John Mousinho explains why he doesn’t feel chasing those players is a waste of time, amid the frustration.
John Mousinho insisted Pompey’s failed pursuit of summer transfer targets was not an exercise in futility.
The Blues boss believes it was the right thing for his club to chase additions, who went elsewhere for fees beyond his club’s reach in the last window.
Mousinho: ‘I don’t think it’s a waste of time’
Mousinho admitted to natural frustration when seeing players he felt could make a difference to his squad moving to rivals.
But he refuted the notion going after those players was a waste of time, as the club’s football operation sought to build a competitive Championship squad for their second campaign at the level.
Pompey brought in 11 new players in another busy summer of recruitment, but that hunt for additions was not without its setbacks.
Danish midfielder Pelle Mattsson was one example of a player on the Blues’ transfer hit-list, who instead ended up moving to rivals Norwich City for - for an initial £2.7m rising to £3m.
Pompey instead landed the likes of Luke Le Roux and Mark Kosznovszky in £1m deals, with John Swift also arriving as a free agent.
Mousinho pointed to the successful chase for Adrian Segecic against a slew of clubs, as evidence of why it’s worth trying to slug it out with clubs with greater resources.
He said: ‘Sometimes when you speak about players at the start of the window there’s a certain cost associated with them, which you are quoted by the agent or the club.
‘The second you get a couple of clubs involved, or two or three clubs, that rises and rises exponentially.
‘Sometimes you end up being blown out of the water.
‘I don’t think it’s a waste of time to be involved in it, because we will find some players who we can compete in that market for.
‘We were in really heavy competition for Segs with a number of clubs, but it was a slightly different scenario because it was compensation rather than a bidding war.
‘There’s two ways to do it. You can be resigned to never competing and never trying to find one of those players who costs what you thought they would at the start of the summer.
‘Or you can keep pursuing those and if we land on one, great. If we don’t then you have players you can sign as the next alternative.’
Pompey boss: ‘A difference between those level of players and others’
Mousinho is now preparing for his seventh transfer window as Pompey boss, since arriving at PO4 in January 2023.
There’s been plenty of recruitment highs and lows in that time, with missing out on players he felt could elevate his current squad last summer a natural disappointment. Mousinho feels it’s important to park personal feelings when considering what’s best for his football club, however.
He added: ‘It’s always frustrating (being outbid for a target).
‘You look at players and there’s clearly a difference between those level of players and others. So you look and think a player is clearly going to make a difference.
‘You want to sign as many good players as possible, but you’re not going to be able to sign every player you look at and every player you speak to. There’s a load of factors which come into it.
‘You have to keep your emotions out of it and detach yourself from emotions, when making business decisions.
‘If something’s moved on, it’s moved on, there’s nothing you can do about it. You go to the next one. You can get really upset about not signing a player, or not bringing a certain player in.
‘But ultimately you have to move on and do what you think is right for the football club.’