And that will make a January loan addition in the middle of the back line the most likely avenue travelled, in the face of Conor Shaughnessy’s latest injury set-back.
Mousinho explained there’s a fine balancing act to weigh up between serving the immediate needs of the Blues squad in the Championship and avoiding issues to contend with further down the line.
The 28-year-old is looking at being sidelined for the rest of the year, with there also the need to get the League One title winner up to speed and ready for the Championship on his return.
Pompey also have Regan Poole building his return after a 10-month lay-off from a knee injury, while Tom McIntyre’s recent run in the first team is his first extended run of games for 18 months.
With Ibane Bowat’s season over without kicking a ball for Pompey after his £500,000 Fulham arrival, the need for an immediate centre-back presence is apparent.
But that will not necessarily be the case further down the line, with the Blues’ football operation needing to weigh up all those factors.
When asked if a loan central defensive signing was most likely, Mousinho said, ‘What we want in any department are players who are competitive.
‘We also don’t want to overload ourselves when players are back; it’s a really fine balance.
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‘We don’t want too many centerbacks in the building to solve a short-term need, but we also don’t want to ignore a short-term need when we might be able to bring someone in.
‘I think the best way to look at it is that, at this stage, we have options for every single area on the pitch because we don’t know what is going to happen between now and January.
‘A good example is we’re really well stocked at right-back but, in the blink of an eye, we’re down to one out of three.
‘None of them are too serious, but we have to keep answering that. So, yes, centre-half is definitely an area we’re looking at.’
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