Sporting director Rich Hughes has admitted at least nine new arrivals will walk through the Fratton Park doors in the coming months has he and head coach John Mousinho look to put their stamp on the current first team.
The aim will be to construct a squad that’s capable of finally ending what will be seven consecutive seasons in League One.
So expectations will be high when business can officially be completed upon the window opening on June 10.
But apart from a host of new names calling Fratton Park home, what else has been said in the build-up to this summer?
Well, we’ve taken a look back at our recent conversations with the Blues’ key recruitment people to see actually what lies await.
Understandably, a range of key topics have been discussed as we’ve sought greater insight into Pompey’s plans.
Here’s a recap of what’s been said on those core issues.
5. Colby Bishop's future
John Mousinho: ‘We’d absolutely love to (keep him). Colby loves it here and has played the best football in his career here this season. We hope that all counts in our favour. It’s a good position to be in to have suitors. We haven’t had any calls about him yet. But it wouldn't be a huge surprise if there were other clubs looking at Colby. I think he’s got plenty more to come in a Pompey shirt and we’d love to keep him. There’s no pressure from the club to sell. The message to everyone is that it would be brilliant to see him in a Pompey shirt next season and as far as I’m concerned at the moment that's going to happen.’ Photo: Jason Brown
6. Bids for contracted players
John Mousinho: ‘In terms of calls, I’ve fielded a lot of calls with the released list because they are the ones where fellow managers want to pick up the phone, get a quick reference and ask things like: “do they suit the system?”. Players in contract, though, I’ve not fielded any calls about so far, I think that is a real positive. I’m sure there will be some interest as the summer goes on, but at the moment it’s the released players people are looking at. Those are the attainable ones where people will look and see they are on frees.’ Photo: Jason Brown
7. Recruiting Premier League youngsters and youth
Richard Hughes: 'John Harley’s an elite young coach with experience of working in a great environment in Chelsea. He’ll have an area of expertise in terms of players he’s played against and who he likes. The big bit as well is, I think he’s somebody who has a real eye on what that progression looks like from an elite under-21 academy to a first-team environment. He’ll have a good understanding of the mentality and the mental skills needed to manage that progression because it is tough and it is difficult. But the ones who can do it, you see can jump in and progress really well for their football clubs.’ Photo: Jason Brown
8. Experienced signings needed
Richard Hughes: ‘Do we want to sign young players who are going to help the football club? Yes, absolutely. There’s a natural by-product that they also generate value, which again is part of how football works. But, as much as we want to sign people like Ryley and Paddy – and they have shown their worth – we also want to recruit players who can go straight into the XI and help the team be really successful. In terms of January, we prioritised some of the younger players purely because of the nature of what we had in the building going forward. There were a lot of senior players already here, so we were able to bring in some good younger ones. But you need balance for success and we must add to our really good senior pros, while also bringing in some exciting young talent. Both are equally as important for us to progress – it’s not just going to be a lot of under-23 signings.’ Photo: Jason Brown