Ian Darke urges Portsmouth to bolster midfield as Mousinho left to dry
Portsmouth must adequately supply John Mousinho with stars to consistently compete from January including another midfielder, according to Ian Darke.
The TV commentator and Blues fan, speaking exclusively to Pompey News, is adamant the club need another midfielder – particularly for away trips in the Championship – and argues the summer recruitment was too weak for Mousinho to deal with.
Pompey sit one place above the relegation zone having struggled to turn draws into wins, claiming just four league victories from 21 with many players operating at this level for the first time.
“It looks a bit that way, that the club hadn’t really got Mousinho enough quality. When you look back on the summer transfers now, like I’ve said before, a few players haven’t been up to it and have been wearing L plates at this level,” Darke explained.
“January has to see two ready-made Championship players who can go straight in. One has to be a central midfield player, because away from home it’s asking a lot of the two-man midfield to sit in.
“That depends on whether Mousinho is interested in tweaking his formation at times on the road.”
Portsmouth survival could hinge on January
Portsmouth have endured more than their fair share of bad fortune this season, with injuries and an occasional inability to see results through plaguing their chances of consistency.
January provides ample opportunity to add to a promising squad, but one which is under pressure to deliver a bare minimum of avoiding the trap door back to League One.
It is so far unclear how loose the pursestrings will specifically be for Mousinho and Rich Hughes to utilise, though Andy Cullen has already admitted the Blues’ budget remains one of the league’s smallest.
In other Portsmouth news, a chance was presented to several players as young as 15 for the Under-18s over the festive period.
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