John Mousinho shares disagreements he has with Rich Hughes at Portsmouth

John Mousinho has opened up on disagreements that sometimes occur with sporting director Rich Hughes when it comes to recruitment at Portsmouth.

The two enjoy a close working rapport at Fratton Park and have together secured the signings of 14 first-team players over the summer transfer window as the Championship return gets underway.

Mousinho, speaking to Chris Wise and Andy Moon on BBC's "Who Needs Mourinho?" podcast [11 September], discusses the nature of these arguments.

"It's never been a stand-up, blazing row," the Pompey boss laughed when asked by Moon about confrontations with Hughes.

"We have disagreements over players - some who are in the building and others we're looking to potentially bring in, and we try and have these conversations really honestly to avoid reservations over a player when they're really close to coming in.

"A disagreement between us typically looks very amicable in the end, and when we make a decision, we make it collectively and decide that's what we're going to do."

Portsmouth will resume recruitment in January

Portsmouth may have brought in 14 senior signings, but they're far from done - and January will see the club snoop back into the market.

The Blues are in the midst of a sustained period of transition, and that's where fans understand patience is key.

This season is about establishment and stability, although there is little doubt some memorable wins will crop up along the way.

A swollen squad is accurate in more ways than one at Fratton Park - the size of Mousinho's roster is currently 31, higher than any other club in the Championship, and injuries taking their toll means the head coach is still threadbare in certain positions.

The season will throw curveballs, injury issues and an unenviable man-management task as every player fights for minutes, but January will see the squad shaped further for sure - with incomings and certainly outgoings.

In other Portsmouth news, a statistical look at Terry Devlin after his impressive Under-21 international display.

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