'Untenable': Portsmouth boss addresses centre-half headache amid Luke Graham transfer interest
All six of the Blues’ central defenders were involve din full training on Monday’s pre-season return
John Mousinho believes a maximum of four centre-halves is the ‘ideal’ number for his Pompey squad.
Although the head coach is prepared to accommodate five - thereby providing additional cover for a position which has been devastated by injury across the last three seasons.
The Blues presently have six central defenders on their books - Conor Shaughnessy, Regan Poole, Madiodio Dia, Hayden Matthews, Ibane Bowat and Josh Knight.
Earlier this week, Mousinho revealed he was willing to listen to offers for Bowat, who has featured just 18 times in two seasons since arriving from Fulham in August 2024.
However, Pompey also remain in the hunt for long-time target Luke Graham, with the highly-regarded 22-year-old Dundee defender attracting plenty of interest this summer.
Potentially, that could mean two centre-halves departing during the transfer window to allow for Graham’s arrival in the most congested playing position at Fratton Park.
‘Ideally, I’d have four’
Mousinho told The News: ‘We’ve got competition at centre-half, we’ve had plenty of players there with the six.
‘If you look across the board, they have all spent a significant amount of time out with injuries and, for us, it’s about pushing the boundaries and being as competitive as possible.
‘Ideally, I’d have four. Four centre-backs competing for two spots would be ideal. I don’t think we’ve been anywhere near being able to do that over the past couple of seasons because of the injuries, we’ve always needed to carry more.
‘We will probably end up with five - plus Connor Ogilvie as cover - because of where we are with the injury situation at centre-back.
‘There is no pressure to have to exit anyone before we bring in players, but obviously it becomes untenable if you have six centre-halves in the building and they’re all fit and all competing for spots.’
Poole and Shaughnessy first-choice pairing
When fit, Poole and Shaughnessy remain Pompey’s strongest centre-half partnership, as reflected by Mousinho’s team selection.
However, Matthews and Dia were still handed starts at the end of last season, with the Blues opting not to overexert Shaughnessy following another injury-hit campaign.
Meanwhile, Knight, who hasn’t played competitively since November following a long-term back injury, is now fit again and involved in pre-season training.
The Blues also have the option of Connor Ogilvie as cover, with the left-back having impressed while deputising at centre-back for 11 matches in the second half of last season.
’We’ve plenty in there who haven’t necessarily played too much’
Mousinho added: ‘It’s probably another disappointing season for Conor Shaughnessy, not because of performances, because they are excellent, but in terms of consistency and playing.
‘Hayden missed large chunks of the season, Ibane to be fair came back and was fit, Regan came back and was fully fit as well. Then Jojo was one of the new signings and, on top of that, Josh missed large chunks of last season as well.
‘So we’ve plenty in there who haven’t necessarily played too much. Regan is probably the only one over the past couple of seasons who has had a full Championship season under his belt.’