Portsmouth transfer window Q&A with Neil Allen: Signings, exits, Keshi Anderson, Luke Graham and more
We asked Pompey fans for their transfer window queries for a Q&A with chief sports writer Neil Allen. Here are his responses...
Do you think anyone else will be leaving on loan?
(Pompeygeorge @pompeygeorge.bsky.social)
Jacob Farrell is the most likely one - and Mousinho has confirmed this in a News article today.
You would also imagine a decision needs to be made over Luke Le Roux, who continues to slip out of the first-team picture and, on Saturday, had a right-back preferred to him in the centre of midfield.
Ibane Bowat is another interesting one, especially if Pompey manage to sign another central defender. That would leave them with six centre-halves on their books, albeit some are injured.
They will definitely be looking to send Tom McIntyre back out again, having been returned by Bradford midway through a scheduled season-long loan.
Do you think the great Australian experiment will come to an end due to the injuries?
(Dan WH @thepurplelurple.bsky.social)
I think naturally Pompey have reached the maximum of four young Australians in the building so won’t be looking for too many more!
In fairness, all look like they have good ability, although we simply haven’t seen enough of Jacob Farrell yet to accurately judge. Adrian Segecic, though, was the signing of last summer for the Blues.
As it stands, the experiment hasn’t worked because of the troubles with adapting physically to the English game. That can still change, though.
Injuries have plagued Pompey going back to the Cowleys. Just unlucky? Or can we start to seriously asks questions at tactic fatigue, coaching, pitch, recruitment, facilities etc?
(@Ruffy_Roy)
Spurs have an injury crisis, Hull have an injury crisis, Sheffield Wednesday have an injury crisis, Villa have just lost three first-choice central midfielders in the space of a couple of weeks. That’s just off the top of my head. It happens, unfortunately.
We have also seen the vast majority of these injuries occur in match situations this season. Ogilvie, Matthews, Shaughnessy, Lang, Blair, Umeh, Schmid, Murphy, Segecic and Kosznovszky spring to mind.
Can that be blamed on training pitches and not having a dome? It’s too easy to jump to conclusions, although clearly the injury situation is not good enough and needs addressing.
Mousinho is adamant it’s down to how the demands of the game have changed, plus longer matches in terms of time added-on.
What is the club’s pathway to ensure the younger players we have signed get the game time to develop? Toby Steward seems the only one to go out on loan. Appreciate injuries have had a huge impact on ability to loan players but does that mean we need a larger budget/squad so we can loan them out?
(elonsgait.bsky.social @elonsgait.bsky.social)
To date, Steward’s pathway has been superbly handled. At the age of 20, he has played well in excess of 100 matches, at many non-league levels, League One and now in the Scottish Championship.
It will be interesting what their plans are for him next season because he really is an exciting prospect.
On the flipside, Harry Clout has been loaned to Farnborough, Welling and now the Hawks, but has hugely struggled to break into teams. He hasn’t even featured yet for an in-form Havant & Waterlooville.
Tayo Singerr did brilliantly at Moneyfields but was recalled amid a Pompey injury crisis and surely will go back out on loan once the window closes - at a higher non-league level.
So there is an opportunity to go out on loan to develop, it’s about seizing it.
How long do you think we give this transfer model of ours until people at the club realise we don't have the cash to make it work? Foreign gambles and brittle kids plucked from Premier League academies don't really cut it in the most competitive league in the world
(@reece_w99)
Do you think there is any frustration within the set up regarding the recruitment strategy of signing promising players when there is still no sign of a development pathway on the horizon? Recruitment based on potential is shrewd only of you have the infrastructure to do so
(Chris Reed@ChrisRe43862970)
Whatever happens at the end of the season, do you think there will be a change of recruitment strategy in the summer to increase investment in the squad? For instance, purchasing a player for £2-4m in the hope we later sell them for £8-10m, rather than a lot of high-risk gambles?
(@JoshBell_)
In theory, I don’t object to the recruitment model. Besides, the £5.5m sale of Peter Crouch to Aston Villa helped build the 2002-03 First Division title-winning team.
A lot of clubs are also employing it. Last season Leeds, Leicester, Southampton, Norwich, Watford, Bristol City, Middlesbrough, Coventry and Blackburn each posted player sales totalling in excess of £13m in their accounts for 2023-24.
It’s an excellent way to generate revenue for your football club. However, Pompey are starting from scratch, they’ve only just returned to the Championship after a 12-year absence and are a long way behind the others.
The only way to address that is quality recruitment of good young players, which can never be 100 per cent successful, it’s impossible. There will be failures, as we have already seen.
Incidentally, last summer there were profits made on Paddy Lane, Christian Saydee and Ryley Towler - yet the sums were purely marginal after a couple of years of good service for each of them.
And who of the current squad is going to attract a far greater profit? That’s the worrying thing.
How many signings do you see us getting in and is Ben Thompson coming back?
(Chris Ebbens@pompeychris87)
Ben Thompson - currently playing for League Two leaders Bromley! We wish him well!!
Since the start of December, Mousinho has been consistent that he wants up to six new players in January.
Well, Alli and Adams have now arrived, so, that’s up to four more required if he’s continuing to stick to that figure.
He definitely wants a centre-forward and another winger. Left-back is now no longer a priority with Connor Ogilvie, Jacob Farrell and Zak Swanson all fit.
Pompey are looking at centre-halves, with interest in Luke Graham, and I would hope they are also in the market for another central midfielder, bearing in mind Kosznovszky is out for the season and Le Roux is also in there.
So it could well be another four.
Talk this morning of Keshi Anderson who was released by Brum six days ago,now if he was genuinely one Mous wanted it would’ve been done sooner not much to hold that up. Stinks of cheap route as a free. Do you think Mous walks possibly at the end of the season?
(@kevypiow)
Firstly, as The News’ story explains, Anderson was a surprise departure from Birmingham and totally unexpected in the eyes of Mousinho. They are now going to discuss him as a potential signing, although that doesn’t mean it will happen.
I don’t have any problem with free transfers as long as they are good enough to improve the team. Pompey have spent £1m-plus on some players over the last 12 months and they can’t even get into the starting XI.
Freebies Regan Poole, Conor Shaughnessy, Connor Ogilvie, Marlon Pack and Josh Murphy haven’t done too badly!
As for Mousinho potentially walking at the end of the season - he remains under contract. How many managers/head coaches quit a club with nowhere lined up? It is incredibly rare and simply wouldn’t make financial sense.
Do you get a sense of panic from the club with the lack of first team players going into such a big week? Or is there a sense of calm around the staff?
(@olliejoell1606)
I thought Mousinho looked very frustrated last week in the presser before Sheffield Wednesday, the most down I have ever seen him in his three years at Pompey.
Contrast that with Monday, when he was in good spirits. The difference two new signings and a Hillsborough win makes!
Do you think the lack of investment and serious lack of comms from the Eisners suggests they want out? Do you ever get offered interviews with them/access?
(Josh Sweetman@JSweetman92)
I totally understand why the Eisners currently don’t post on social media, they are on a hiding to nothing. If they post they will get criticism or abuse for it. If they don’t post they will be criticised or abused for it. So what’s the point? It’s the same with footballers. There’s an obvious reason they only post when things are going well.
In terms of addressing the local media, my view is entirely different. They need to speak far more.
I last spoke to Michael Eisner in July 2024, but that was a feature centred primarily on his remarkable TV and film career. It was conducted over Zoom and the purpose was not to focus on Pompey. I last spoke to Eric Eisner in April 2024, just before the victory celebrations on Southsea Common.
However, when we see them around the ground on match-days, they always stop for a friendly chat - but not to be interviewed.
We are often told it’s the American ownership way, with Andy Cullen, as CEO, speaking on their behalf. Incidentally, Andy returns every phone call we make to him and is always readily available. Never, ever known him to dodge an interview.
Incidentally, I never interviewed Sasha Gaydamak other than his first day at the club in January 2006. Nobody really seemed to care until things went badly a few years later.
Why has Florian Bianchini not been sent back to Swansea this month?
(Via Facebook)
The simple answer is Pompey don’t have a clause to break the season-long loan in January. These do differ from player to player.
When Premier League clubs loan out players, they almost always have them inserted, but Pompey have also lost Ben Thompson (Millwall), while Ipswich have a clause with Conor Chaplin.
With Sammy Silvera last January, it was mutually agreed to end his loan after Bristol City when some fans got on his back.
At the time, Mousinho said: ‘We had a sensible conversation with Middlesbrough about what was best for Sammy and, after the Bristol City game, both parties thought it was the best thing for Sammy to go back.’
Anyhow, why would Swansea want him back? Pompey are relegation rivals and Bianchini isn’t in their first-team plans.
If Zak Swanson is now preferred in midfield over Luke Le Roux, does that increase the likelihood he leaves in January, even on loan?
(Via Facebook)
Certainly many of us in the Hillsborough press box thought that was absolutely damning when we saw Swanson named ahead of Le Roux. Then Ebou Adams came off the bench.
Of late, Le Roux has only made the squad through default, with injuries biting deep. He was called onto the bench, for instance, against Charlton when Bishop felt an injury during the warm-up.
You’d have to say things look a little bleak for Le Roux at present. He simply hasn’t done enough to convince the head coach in his appearances.
But, in terms of playing numbers, Pompey cannot afford to let anybody leave unless they make more signings or players return from injury.
Will Pompey bring in a centre forward during the window? Bishop not good enough!
(Via Facebook)
Whether you believe Colby Bishop is ‘not good enough’, Pompey still need to add another centre-forward in January.
Makenzie Kirk isn’t ready for the Championship as a loan striker, Waddingham remains injured and Bishop simply hasn’t scored enough goals this season (although for 11 last term).
Encouragingly, they are actively looking for a new striker this month - and will definitely bring one in. Who it is - and how they fare - remains to be seen.
What’s Pompey’s numbers now squad-wise? Do players still need to leave to create space?
(Via Facebook)
The Football League 25-man squad effectively resets in January - and must be registered again once the transfer window is over.
As it stands, the first-team squad stands at 35 players. But that includes Tom McIntyre (who hasn’t got a shirt number) and Jordan Archer.
The eight under-21 players, who don’t count towards the total, are Reuben Swann, Thomas Waddingham, Hayden Matthews, Adrian Segecic, Toby Steward, Harry Clout, Makenzie Kirk and Franco Umeh.
Now, of the remaining 25 players, Mark Kosznovszky is injured for the rest of the season, so won’t be registered. Leaving one space.
Pompey also want to loan out Jacob Farrell, you would also think Luke Le Roux is a consideration. So there are ways and means.
Complicated, I know!
If Pompey remain interested in Luke Graham will the likes of Ibane Bowat move on loan this month?
(Via Facebook)
There is definite ongoing Pompey interest in the highly-rated Dundee youngster, who will be seen as a challenger to Conor Shaughnessy and Regan Poole in the centre of defence.
As ever in that position, there are concerns over injuries, so the Blues need to be well-stocked. Particularly with Josh Knight and Hayden Matthews still sidelined.
It’s one which will likely be decided at the end of the window, depending on how the pursuit of Graham pans out. Bowat does need games - but Pompey also need centre-half cover.
Surely the injuries to Umeh, Murphy, Lang and Blair means wingers are still on the agenda this month?
(Via Facebook)
Don’t forget Florian Bianchini (knee) is also out injured!
Obviously Millenic Alli arrived last week and Mousinho has reiterated in the last week that he still wants another winger.
Pompey have never replaced Ritchie, plus Minhyeok Yang has returned to Spurs. So absolutely nobody can argue another winger is required, particularly on the right.