Alexander Milosevic ‘contract decision a no-brainer’ after Portsmouth admission
Portsmouth are gunning for Championship survival, and Alexander Milosevic has already played an essential role despite not kicking a ball.
John Mousinho’s team sit 17th in the Championship and aren’t among the favourites to be relegated.
Pompey signed the Sweden international as a free agent until the end of the season in March as they looked to reinforce their backline after suffering multiple injuries.
The Hampshire outfit signed the likes of Hayden Matthews and Rob Atkinson to reinforce their already depleted defence in the winter transfer window, but they also picked up knocks.
Mousinho will need big summer transfer window at Portsmouth
Pompey will evidently need to bolster several positions in the upcoming transfer window to make further progress if they survive the drop this season.
The Hampshire outfit beat Blackburn Rovers 1-0 at Fratton Park on 29 March to get three valuable points.
| Championship table (2024/25) | Points |
| 17. Portsmouth | 45 |
| 18. Stoke City | 42 |
| 19. Oxford United | 42 |
| 20. Derby County | 41 |
| 21. Hull City | 41 |
| 22. Cardiff City | 40 |
| 23. Luton Town | 38 |
| 24. Plymouth Argyle | 34 |
Mousinho will be hoping for similar results in the final seven Championship fixtures of the season to retain their place in the division.
Regan Poole, Connor Ogilvie, Callum Lang and Colby Bishop will likely get the plaudits at the end of the campaign, but one unsung hero also deserves a mention.
Milosevic impact at Pompey shared by Mousinho
Milosevic made the bench for the first time when Pompey faced the Rovers, and it remains to be seen whether the 33-year-old Sweden international will make his debut against Millwall at the Den on Saturday (5 April)
Ogilvie and Poole will be expected to start as the centre-back pairing once again after their impressive displays in recent matches.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see the former Nottingham Forest ace get some minutes in the later stages of the game against Alex Neil’s team if need be.
Mousinho has acknowledged Milosevic’s impact in his short time at Portsmouth, hailing his leadership and experience after what he did recently.
Speaking to the media via The News (4 April), the English manager said: “Even though Alex [Milosevic] hasn’t played a minute yet, he’s been a huge influence around the place. So he’s come in and just boosted the place with his leadership and experience — he just has that attitude and mentality.
“The first thing he did after the game was go up to the two centre-halves after the game and congratulate them on how good they’d been. That’s what we need. We need that around the place, and the influence of players who aren’t setting foot on the pitch is huge.”
The 33-year-old defender was signed on a short-term deal at Fratton Park until the end of the season, but his attitude makes him deserving of a new contract.
Even if the Hampshire outfit drop down to League One, they will arguably need characters like the Swedish centre-back to push for promotion.
Pompey will be confident of avoiding relegation as things stand, and Milosevic should indeed be a part of Mousinho’s plans going into next season.