Schmid now makes Portsmouth fans realise why Mousinho made his own life harder
John Mousinho and the Portsmouth recruitment staff made a bold and intriguing decision in the summer when overhauling their squad.
With a very limited budget – in fact a wallet size utterly dwarfed by several clubs Pompey have since beaten this season (Sunday especially) – Mousinho sanctioned the signing of Nicolas Schmid at Fratton Park, for an undisclosed fee from BK Linz in Austria.
The 27-year-old goalkeeper had been Linz’s number one for several years and had just helped steer his side to the top flight in his homeland, so was certainly never making the sacrifice to sit on the bench in England.
Schmid has written his own Portsmouth story
Schmid turned up at Portsmouth straight into keen competition, with fellow senior stoppers Will Norris and Jordan Archer already in the squad – the latter himself only having been recently signed.
The fact Pompey were willing to pay a fee to secure the Austrian on a long-term contract was a risk in terms of man management for Mousinho, but one that a few months later has paid dividends and then some.
Schmid is fast turning into one of the Championship’s most in-form ‘keepers, typified by a heroic performance between the sticks in a 1-0 win for Portsmouth against Leeds United last time out (9 March).
The display – in which he made four crucial saves including one in the final minute of stoppage time to prevent an equaliser – was enough to earn he and defender Zak Swanson a place in the Championship Team of the Week.
After a shaky start once he replaced the phased-out Norris, Schmid slowly began to pick up form, coinciding with that of his team, and he quickly became undisputed first-choice.
Mousinho and his goalkeepers
By late January, Schmid was so established on the teamsheet that Norris was allowed to leave for pastures new, Pompey even ripping up his contract to allow him a free link-up with Wycombe Wanderers as he aims for a second-straight League One promotion.
Archer has been only but an understudy, despite his previous career experience, and could himself seek a move in the summer if he believes he can be first-choice elsewhere.
Interestingly, Portsmouth brought in Ben Killip from Barnsley on Deadline Day, a 29-year-old stopper who has played plenty of games this season but opted to move to Fratton Park as a backup until the summer.
| Portsmouth goalkeepers – 2024-25 | APPS | CLEAN SHEETS |
| Nicolas Schmid | 28 | 7 |
| Will Norris* | 9 | 2 |
| Jordan Archer | 3 | 0 |
| Ben Killip | 0 | 0 |
| Toby Steward | 0 | 0 |
Young ‘keeper Toby Steward has spent time on several loans this season, with Wealdstone and Tonbridge Angels, as he seeks more experience following his excellent loan stint with Gosport Borough last term.
Mousinho however looks to have found his answer long-term, with Schmid demonstrating he has what it takes to build a long and fruitful career in English football.