Mousinho delivers ‘extremely promising’ verdict after Portsmouth seal Abdoulaye Kamara signing
Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho has delivered his verdict on the club’s newest signings Abdoulaye Kamara and Nicolas Schmid.
As the transfer window approaches its final week, Mousinho and Rich Hughes are keen to complete the club’s summer recruitment as quickly as possible, with two new incomings so far this week.
Kamara – not to be confused with namesake Abu, who has reportedly handed in a transfer request at Norwich City [Pink Un, 20 August] – is a 19-year-old midfielder from Borussia Dortmund, who first broke into the professional game at Paris Saint-Germain.
Schmid, 27, arrives from Austrian top-flight new boys BW Linz and bolsters Mousinho’s goalkeeping options.
The head coach told the Portsmouth FC official website about Kamara [20 August]: “He’s an extremely promising young player who arrives with plenty of pedigree, having been at Dortmund and PSG before that.
“He’s a powerful and combative midfielder who can handle the ball well – he’s right up there in terms of his athleticism and game understanding.”
Adding on Schmid, Mousinho said [21 August]: “We’ve added an experienced keeper who’s probably at the peak of his career right now.
“Nicolas is an excellent shot-stopper and has a good range of kicking. He adds to what’s already a really strong goalkeeping unit.”
Portsmouth adding competition to their ranks
It’s certainly an exciting proposition for Portsmouth fans to add their 10th and 11th signings of the current window to their squad.
Whilst Abdoulaye Kamara’s arrival may appear a little left-field – not to mention any potential confusion Pompey fans may have initially had due to the heavy links with Abu Kamara – he brings a thrilling pedigree in the name of his former clubs.
Schmid’s signing is a different situation – it could now be the case that first-choice goalkeeper Will Norris is sweating on his number one berth with the added competition of the Austrian, despite his positive start to the season.
The duo have both been brought into Fratton Park on permanent deals for undisclosed fees, something Pompey fans will be reassured by having raised their concerns over the club’s limited spending over the summer.
The Blues remain in the market and do still hold an interest in Abu Kamara alongside other targets, with the Premier League loan system also ready to kick into action as it tends to towards the end of the window.
In other Portsmouth news, Dermot Gallagher had this to say about a controversial incident at Fratton on Saturday.
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