John Mousinho attends Portsmouth meetings to release Pompey players as ‘huge concerns’ raised
Portsmouth have released 11 youth players after informing them there’s no future for them at Fratton Park, according to The News.
The newspaper reported via their website on Tuesday (19 March) that third-year scholar Destiny Ojo is set to leave as well as 10 second-year scholars: Harvey Laidlaw, Mitch Aston, Sam Folarin, Brian Quarm, Bastian Smith, Malachi Osei-Owusu, Jack Fox, Maxwell Hurst, Kevin Bosaka and Dan Murray.
It is understood that the “news will inevitably raise huge concerns over the direction of Pompey’s Academy”.
The News adds that the decision has been made at Fratton Park because Pompey chiefs don’t believe these players will affect the first-team squad in the next two or three years, especially if the club is promoted to the Championship.
The 11 players were reportedly informed in a series of one-on-one meetings – attended by first-team manager John Mousinho – on Monday 18 March.
Portsmouth give Koby Mottoh two weeks to win contract
While the likes of Laidlaw, Aston, Folarin and Quarm will all have to find themselves new clubs, Koby Mottoh might not have to.
The News claims that the 16-year-old winger, who has made five senior appearances for Pompey this season across the EFL Trophy and EFL Cup, has been given a two-week trial to win himself a professional deal at Fratton Park.
It is understood that after these two weeks are over, a decision will be made on the teenage ace, who played all 90 minutes of Pompey’s EFL Trophy penalty shoot-out win over Fulham Under-21s in August.
It seems a no-brainer that Mottoh should be offered a professional contract.
Despite only being 16, Mottoh has five senior appearances to his name so he’s definitely worth investing some more time and effort in developing.
Next season, Portsmouth are unlikely to be playing in the EFL Trophy but the lack of an Under-21s set-up at Fratton Park means that a loan exit is potentially the best option for the attacking talent.
He might not be Championship-level just yet but he will be in the future so a local non-league move to a team like Gosport – where Toby Steward is thriving – could be a good shout.
In other Portsmouth news, this Pompey ace has been unexpectedly called up to international duty.
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