The transfer pressure Portsmouth are now feeling
The summer saw Pompey’s biggest transfer outlay since the Premier League era, but that increased spending brings others challenges.
John Mousinho admitted Pompey are feeling the pressure to get their recruitment right.
And the Blues boss acknowledged the increased risk which comes from the club upping their spending.
Mousinho on transfer spending: ‘We have to keep getting things right.’
Outlays on transfer fees were hiked this summer ahead of the team’s third campaign in the Championship, with around £11m spent as 12 new faces arrived.
The initial £3m paid to bring in Marko Milovanović from UD Almeria was the most spent on an addition since the Premier League era, with that deal potentially reaching £4.3m with add-ons.
That arrival was supplemented with Rocco Shein joining from Fredrikstad FK for £2.1m, with that followed by the captures of Abu Kamara (£2.5m) and Tyrese Shade (£2.2m).
That spending is a significant hike on the approximate £4m spent in the summer of 2025 and the modest £1.2m in the summer of 2024.
The money still pales in comparison to elsewhere across the Championship, however, with a record £289.3m splashed out across the division in the past window.
Pompey’s fees come with a modest wage bill by the division’s standards, as the club look to operate sustainably.
But Mousinho says the football operation is feeling the need to ‘keep getting things right’, in a relative new era of spending.
He said: ‘Ultimately everyone wants more money to spend and that’s great, but it comes with a few caveats and things which don’t necessarily make things easier.
‘It’s always better to have money to spend, but it’s also difficult at times to spend it and spend it properly.
‘So I think we’ve moved in the right direction, we’ve definitely moved in the right direction with that.
‘I think we’ve taken that step over two seasons in the Championship and made sure we can put ourselves in that position.
‘We have to keep getting things right.
‘Then hopefully some of the bigger signings we made this summer will prove to be the right ones.’
Even with Pompey increasing their spending, the club are still looking to squeeze every ounce of value out of their budget.
That’s seen the club look to the continent for much of their business, which brings value but also potentially increased risk over deals.
Mousinho acknowledged the stakes are also higher when the fees spent on players go up.
He added: ‘I think in theory it should (increased spending lessening risk), but in some ways it increases the risk as well because of the amount of money you’re spending. You can’t necessarily afford to make those mistakes.’