Portsmouth ‘to sell’ Josh Murphy in new transfer after ‘elite’ development
Josh Murphy has proven to be a shrewd signing by Portsmouth after he helped them steer away from the relegation zone.
Portsmouth snapped up Murphy on a free transfer from Oxford United after securing promotion to the Championship last season.
While the 30-year-old may not be the most exciting name out there, he has certainly turned out to be an excellent addition to John Mousinho’s side.
Having net six goals in 34 Championship appearances, Murphy is Pompey’s third-highest goalscorer this season, while also providing 10 assists, which is six more than anyone else.
Therefore, his influence in the Fratton Park outfit moving away from the danger zone cannot be understated.
Murphy joins Mohamed Salah in elite list
Murphy has been so impressive for Portsmouth that he is only one of five players in the EFL to hit double figures for assists this season.
The former Norwich ace, thus, joins the likes of Mohamed Salah, Bukayo Saka and Antonee Robinson in the list of stars playing in England to have 10 assists or more.
West Brom’s Tom Fellows, Middlesbrough’s Finn Azaz, Coventry City’s Jack Rudoni and Grimsby Town’s Denver Hume are the only other EFL players with that many assists.
| Player | Assists |
| Salah (Liverpool) | 17 |
| Damsgaard (Brentford) | 10 |
| Robinson (Fulham) | 10 |
| Saka (Arsenal) | 10 |
| Azaz (Middlesbrough) | 11 |
| Fellows (West Brom) | 11 |
| Murphy (Portsmouth) | 10 |
| Rudoni (Coventry) | 10 |
| Hume (Grimsby Town) | 10 |
What makes Murphy’s achievement even more impressive is the fact that he is only one of two players on the list whose teams are not in the top half of their respective leagues.
Portsmouth are currently placed 17th in the Championship, sitting four points above the relegation zone, while Damsgaard’s Brentford sit 11th in the Premier League.
Portsmouth to lose Murphy this summer
With four teams separating Portsmouth and the relegation zone, Mousinho is on course to lead the team to safety this season.
However, he would need more signings like Murphy to be able to push further up the table next season, according to Ian Darke.
While it remains to be seen if the Fratton Park outfit can pull that off, they need to be wary of losing Murphy’s services this summer.
Despite being 30 years old, several clubs in the Championship would relish having a player of his calibre in their ranks and that is why teams could take advantage of Pompey’s situation by trying to lure him away.
Mousinho’s side could therefore be tempted to cash in on Murphy.