Ian Darke urges Portsmouth to loosen transfer policy in January
Portsmouth can earn Championship survival by making a certain move in an increasingly vital January transfer window, according to Ian Darke.
Blues fan and TV commentator Darke has urged Pompey to veer off from their summer transfer policy to secure “a couple of hardened Championship players” in the winter market to establish their status in the division.
John Mousinho’s side are in among several rivals vying to avoid the bottom three come the end of the season, having signed 14 players on a strict budget to mixed effect in the summer.
CEO Andy Cullen had recently laid bare the club’s finances in the recent Pompey Supporters’ Trust meeting.
“Whatever the overall policy is, a couple of hardened Championship players can help change Pompey’s season,” Darke exclusively told Pompey News.
“It could be enough. It’s tight down there, and the years of hard work to get back into the Championship mean just that loosening of the policy can be the key to a capable squad.”
Portsmouth ready to fight for survival
As it stands, Portsmouth find themselves in a more encouraging position than this time last month, when they lay five points from safety.
Now, the team are second-bottom but with up to two games in hand on several competitors who can be caught as highly as 14th in the table.
The demand will be high on a large but injury-ravaged squad with 11 games between Boxing Day and 1 February in all competitions.
Mousinho’s Blues take on Norwich City at Fratton Park on Tuesday night [10 December], searching for three home wins on the bounce.
In other Portsmouth news, Don Goodman reveals what he thinks of the absence of Kusini Yengi.
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