John Mousinho to have man-management skills tested as Portsmouth eye Nicolas Schmid transfer – Norris
David Norris says John Mousinho may have his toughest task in man-management yet if Portsmouth sign goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid.
The former Blues midfielder says this would be down to Mousinho having three senior goalkeepers in his squad, and somehow having to keep the trio simultaneously happy.
Schmid has this week been linked with an interest from Pompey [Laola1, 12 August] following promotion to the Austrian top flight last season with BW Linz, whose number one he has been since arriving in 2019.
Exclusively speaking to Pompey News, Norris said: “It’ll be an interesting one, and I think it comes down to [Mousinho’s] man-management skills – it will be a tricky one to keep all three happy.
“Usually you have a young lad in as third choice or an older ‘keeper who is winding down and gives that homegrown experience.
“I don’t know the standard of the Austrian leagues, so maybe [Schmid] would be coming in with a view to the future – I’m not sure. They could even be looking to upgrade on what they’ve got.”
Portsmouth could have three senior stoppers on the books
Whilst Rich Hughes has publicly stated Portsmouth are in the hunt for a third-choice goalkeeper, the purported interest in a 27-year-old who has been a number one for several years appears left-field.
As Norris says, the third choice at a club is usually either an academy youngster verging on the first team and pushing for minutes, or an older head taking on a coaching capacity at the same time or filling a homegrown slot – usually more prominent for Premier League sides.
His namesake, Will Norris, is currently Mousinho’s man between the sticks having performed excellently in the club’s promotion-winning season, supplemented by Jordan Archer, an experienced Championship stopper.
Mousinho refused to be pressed on the latest regarding Schmid [The News, 15 August] but it now seems fairly likely the Austrian is a target – whereabouts in the pecking order the intention is, is anyone’s guess.
Pompey may have scouted attributes in Schmid that are missing in what they’ve got, and could be merely looking to upgrade to a more suitable goalkeeper for their style of play – but it’s an intriguing scenario to watch play out.
In other Portsmouth news, an extensive injury update ahead of Championship football returning to Fratton Park against Luton Town.
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