Portsmouth insider names two Fratton Park outcasts to burst onto scene next season
Portsmouth supporters have offered John Mousinho and his squad a wealth of recent credit after they secured Championship safety.
As it turned out, Pompey’s survival became comfortable, as they finished 16th after going unbeaten in their final five fixtures of an arduous campaign.
The Blues players and staff took the acclaim of a packed-out Fratton Park on Saturday (3 May) following their finale, a 1-1 draw with Hull City who themselves stayed up by the skin of their teeth.
But one man who has been highlighted for particular credit is sporting director Rich Hughes.
Ian Darke raves over Hughes as Pompey duo talked up for next season
Hughes has presided over 22 new signings since Portsmouth secured promotion from League One last year, to varying degrees of success.
However, for the most part, they have been crucial to the establishment of Pompey back in the second tier, all while operating on a comparatively shoestring budget.
TV commentator and Blues fan Darke has showered Hughes with praise, stating that “by and large”, he and his recruitment team have pulled off numerous top arrivals including Josh Murphy, Freddie Potts and Matt Ritchie.
Darke also noted that summer buys Jacob Farrell and Ibane Bowat – who have played just one match between them (Farrell against Sheffield United in September) – can put their desperate injury woes behind them to make an impact of their own next season.
The two defenders have defined a season under Mousinho in which he has been decimated by the injury list on Copnor Road’s treatment table.
“Over the time [Hughes] has been in charge of the recruitment, it’s been a heck of a lot better than it would’ve been in the four or five years before that,” the renowned broadcaster said.
“We’ve seriously wondered about some of the signings down the years, so, by and large, they’ve been successes under him. Not all of them, admittedly – some have just been brought in to beef up the numbers.
“There are players who have been super-unlucky with injuries as well – Jacob Farrell and Ibane Bowat might be two who burst through next season.”
Portsmouth want best out of Farrell and Bowat
Portsmouth captured Farrell and Bowat in among the 14 senior players Hughes signed in the summer of 2024.
Farrell arrived from Central Coast Mariners with back-to-back Australian A-League titles under his belt, while Scottish youth international Bowat made a £500,000 switch from Fulham having gained experience in the Netherlands and Austria.
The duo have been desperately unlucky with injuries, as Farrell’s knee has continued to plague his progress in England having impressed with a clean sheet on his debut at Fratton Park, back in September against Sheffield United.
| Portsmouth summer signings | Minutes played this season |
| Jacob Farrell | 90 |
| Ibane Bowat | 0 |
Bowat was named on the bench in last August’s home defeat by Sunderland, but shortly afterwards sustained a knee ligament injury which ruled him out for an initial six months – eventually becoming the whole season.
The pair remain under contract for next season, and will use the time wisely to aim to burst into life in Mousinho’s squad and finally put themselves firmly back in Pompey fans’ minds.