View: John Mousinho will be frustrated as Jack Sparkes quits Portsmouth
John Mousinho is unlikely to be best pleased that Jack Sparkes has left Portsmouth.
Pompey are set to return to the Championship next season for the first time since 2012.
Their first match will be against Leeds United at Elland Road (10 August), which serves as a not-so-friendly reminder of just how difficult life back in the Championship could prove to be.
After their impressive League One-title winning campaign last time out, Mousinho will no doubt have ambitions of remaining competitive next season.
However, to do that, the club need to keep hold of their best players and add some real quality to their ranks. By letting go of Sparkes, they have done the complete opposite.
It was confirmed by the club via their official website on Friday (26 July) that the left-back had quit Fratton Park and signed for Peterborough United for an undisclosed fee.
The 23-year-old leaves Portsmouth after just one season with the club, having arrived from Exeter last summer and going on to make 43 appearances for Pompey.
And Mousinho’s words following Sparkes’ confirmed exit indicate how highly he thought of the player.
The Portsmouth boss said, “Jack did a brilliant job for us last season and I’m sure his contribution will not be forgotten.
“We thank him for his efforts in a Pompey shirt and wish him all the best for the future at Peterborough.”
Sparkes provided six assists from left-back across his 38 League One appearances. He was also on hand to set up two goals across two EFL Trophy appearances.
As a result, some supporters might be left confused by the decision to allow Sparkes to leave the club.
Portsmouth to regret letting Jack Sparkes quit Fratton Park?
It wasn’t just the assists which made Sparkes impressive, with the underlying numbers demonstrating that Sparkes was one of the most impressive left-backs in League One last season in other areas too.
As per Fotmob, Sparkes ranked among the top seven per cent of his positional peers in the competition for both the number of chances he created (50) and the number of successful crosses he put into the box (54).
In addition, he ranked in the top 17 per cent of League One left-backs for the number of accurate long balls he played (66) and the top 12 per cent for the percentage of his long balls that were accurate (41.5 per cent).
With Pompey dominating most matches the Englishman didn’t have as much defending to do, but his position in the top 12 per cent of left-backs for the number of times he won possession in the final third (12) demonstrates that he could help out defensively as well as offensively.
Sparkes’ departure is perhaps less surprising considering it comes on the same day that the club completed the signing of left-back Jacob Farrell (via BBC Sport, 26 July).
And Mousinho will now hope that Farrell can fill the hole left behind by Sparkes.
In other Portsmouth news, one player can make a difference at the club next season amid a recent claim.
For more Portsmouth news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.