Josh Murphy claim made in ‘controversial’ Championship admission
Portsmouth may have faced some difficulty this season, but secured their safety in the Championship with plenty of time in the bank.
John Mousinho has received credit for the work he has done with Pompey, but all attention will now have to be on the new campaign.
Portsmouth will be eager to build upon their initial success and push themselves further up the table next season, away from the relegation zone.
To do so, the boss will need to retain his best players while also adding new faces to his squad.
Josh Murphy heralded for Portsmouth contribution
One man who supporters will be desperate to see at Fratton Park again next season is Josh Murphy, who has had an impressive campaign on the South Coast.
The winger finished the season with the most assists in the whole of the Championship, an impressive accomplishment in a struggling side.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 42 | 7 | 14 |
As a more experinced player too, the 30-year-old’s contributions came off the pitch as well with him being one of the leaders in his side’s survival.
As a result of his contributions, speaking on the Second Tier podcast (6 May), Ryan Dilks admitted he had to be in the Championship team of the season, saying: “Our final player in our team of the season and is probably our most controversial one we’ll include. We’ve gone with Josh Murphy at Portsmouth.
“It’s one which may raise a few eyebrows amongst listeners, but he’s been an absolute revelation.
“He was signed on a free transfer from Oxford United in the summer, not a huge amount of expectation, he’s not a young lad anymore either, and he’s finished with the joint-most assists in the Championship with 14 and scored seven goals.”
Portsmouth have to keep hold of Murphy
Portsmouth could face some difficult moments throughout the summer transfer window as they look to improve on their squad.
While Mousinho needs to add to what he already has, players like Murphy could attract some tempting offers, which Pompey may need to consider.
However, there is no point gaining finances for players if the side is going to be signifcantly weaker without them and with Murphy, that definitely feels like the case.
His goal contributions this season have been outstanding, and if he is in an improved side next term, you can imagine he will only build upon that.
The fact he is being named in teams of the season does highlight the attraction that could come from elsewhere but Portsmouth have to stand firm on this one with no pressure to sell.