With Pompey second from bottom in the Championship table heading into their New Year’s Day meeting with Swansea at Fratton Park, there’s clearly work to be done if survival is to be achieved.
But what are Pompey’s intentions for the month and what will the window look like when it closes on Monday, February 3.
Well, over the past couple of weeks, The News has been trying its best to get as much information as possible out of head coach John Mousinho. Of course, he’s going to remain tight-lipped about the inner-most workings of the club’s transfer business. Yet he’s still provided enough to give us all a good understanding of what is likely to happen over the course of the next 34 days.
Here’s his responses to the key transfer questions as the January transfer window opens for business.
When are new arrivals expected to arrive?
Mousinho: ‘There probably won’t be any signings before the Sunderland game, that might be too soon. But, if something opens up, we are ready to move quickly on it.
‘What we find with loans, in particular, is that a lot of clubs aren’t willing to let players go before the third round of the FA Cup. Also, not many clubs are willing to let players go that quickly in the first 2-5 days of the window.
‘Certainly our target will be to possibly have players in the building by the Blackburn game, which is the next league match after Sunderland.’
Will finances be available?
Mousinho: ‘All indications so far are we’re going to get the backing (from the owners), whether that’s through fees or through bringing players on loan who might have significant loan fees or significant wages to cover.
‘We’re definitely willing to do that as a football club – and I know the owners have prioritised making sure we strengthen and bring in players who are going to affect us.’
What fans can expect from January transfer window
Mousinho: ‘There are certainly going to be some areas we need to strengthen. There’s not going to be wholesale changes, but, if we can bring key players in in certain areas, that’s what we will look to do.
‘We have talked about what we want to try to do in January. There are a couple of things we are really struggling with, with some major injuries at the moment, as we have been all season.
‘Sometimes when you have those games back to back, that can be really highlighted. If you look at some of the things we are struggling with at the moment, certainly that’s a big factor.
‘We are under no illusions. We want to go into January and strengthen the squad and be a lot better than we’ve been for the first half of the season.’
Pompey’s preparations ahead of window opening
Mousinho: ‘We’ve been looking since the back end of the window in August. We have a lot of potential targets.
‘We’re looking at every position because you never know what’s going to happen. It’s about populating those lists, making sure we whittle them down, seeing who is available, and then going from there. We have done a lot of work on it.’
The need for Championship-ready players
Mousinho: ‘The priority in January is to bring in the right players. If the right players are there I’m sure the funds will be available.’
Pompey’s top priority in the transfer window – a centre-back
Mousinho: ‘We want someone who is quick, strong, can head the ball, can handle the ball as well, is a good leader, and has played loads of games in the Championship or the Premier League. That would be ideal.
‘Whenever you are looking to recruit any player, you look at all these different attributes in terms of what you can get.
‘Whether it’s an experienced player, a young player, someone whose attributes really suit one thing, we have to be realistic about what we can get.
‘The overall attribute is a player who is going to come in and affect the starting XI, that’s the most important thing for us. Straight into the first-team, but, if not for whatever reason, certainly have that capability to do that.’
Can players signed for the future be ruled out?
Mousinho: ‘If there’s a player who is available in January who is right for the future, we’ll still do it – but we wouldn’t be saying he’s a player who needs to impact us now.
‘We may say we’ll look at that because we don’t want to miss out on the opportunity, but the front-line priority is we need players who can impact it now.’
The potential for departures
Mousinho: ‘We will definitely consider loaning people out. Players who have not had a huge amount of game time who we might think “Have they got a future with the club?”. That’s where the loan system comes in really well.
‘Should any players leave permanently, obviously the deal has to be right and we must make sure we know they’re happy to go.’
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