Transfer latest: John Mousinho makes Portsmouth exits prediction despite 'it's tough' claims
Pompey have signed five players to date - but only one player has exited the Blues during the summer transfer window
John Mousinho is hopeful this week will see Pompey ‘start moving’ on player exits.
The Blues boss is keen to kick-start the process of trimming his squad, with the Fratton Park outfit currently operating with 32 registered first-teamers.
That figure crept above the 30 mark at the tail end of last week following the incomings of both Marko Milovanovic and Daniel Bielica.
And it will only increase further in the coming days as Pompey look to announce the signing of Wellington Phoenix forward Luke Brooke-Smith, who will be the club’s sixth new arrival of the transfer window.
Despite those bumper numbers, the Blues still had eight players unable to feature in their latest pre-season friendly against Wycombe Wanderers because of injury.
As a result, Mousinho was forced to deploy centre-back Ibane Bowat in a left-wing position during the closing stages of the game. Meanwhile, left-back triallist Avrin Appiah played right wing for a period following his introduction at half-time.
Pompey’s shortage of fit and available players for their pre-season fixtures has impacted their ability to move players on, with Makenzie Kirk’s loan move to Barnsley their only departure to date.
But with Milovanovic and Bielica now in the building, Brooke-Smith on the way, and Ebou Adams and Zak Swanson stepping up their workloads, Mousinho believes now is the time to start trimming the fat from his ranks.
John Mousinho on Pompey departures
When asked by BBC Radio Solent about potential exits in the aftermath of his side’s 3-1 defeat to Wycombe, Mousinho said: ‘At the moment, it's tough on exits.
‘We've finished the game with a centre-back playing left wing and a left-back triallist playing right wing, and really filling bits in here and there.
‘So, it's one of those where we want to make sure we can fulfil these fixtures. But yeah, if there's anything that pops up for any of the boys, I think this week really is probably the week where we can start moving things.
‘There's definitely room where we need to shift a few on and make a bit of space in the squad.
‘I expect and I'm hopeful that we'll have a couple of moving parts this week.’
Which players could still leave Pompey this summer
There’s no shortage of potential exits currently within the Blues’ first-team ranks.
Bowat, Jacob Farrell and Luke Le Roux have all been told they are free to leave the club in the current transfer window.
Meanwhile, the futures of wingers Harvey Blair and Franco Umeh are in serious doubt as they continue to struggle with fitness and form during their Fratton Park stays.
The goalkeeper department is at full capacity following Bielica’s arrival from NAC Breda, meaning one of either Josef Bursik or Ben Killip could possibly depart.
There’s also question marks over Colby Bishop’s long-term Pompey prospects following Milovanovic’s multi-million pound move from UD Almeria.
Moves for the highly-rated Terry Devlin and Adrian Segecic can’t also be discounted this summer. Although Pompey have always maintained they are under no pressure to sell either of their prized assets.
The Blues will have to submit a 25-man squad to the EFL upon the conclusion of the transfer market. However, players under the age of 21 don’t count towards that total.