Portsmouth chief admits concern over Mousinho exit, talks ongoing everyday
Portsmouth appear to be wary of losing John Mousinho at some point in the summer.
The 39-year-old has had a superb spell in charge at Fratton Park after taking his side from League One to Championship survival this season.
This saw Pompey avoid relegation by five points, securing a 16th-place finish in the first year back in the second tier for the first time in 12 years.
As a result, it is little surprise that there will be eyes on Mousinho in the coming weeks, with a clear worry emerging on the south coast.
Rich Hughes speaks out on Mousinho future at Portsmouth
There is likely to be a number of Championship sides who will be keen on appointing a new manager ahead of the new campaign.
One of those is Watford, with Mousinho emerging in the betting odds to potentially take over the vacant role after Tom Cleverley was sacked.
This doesn’t appear likely as it stands, but it sets a precedent for what the summer window could be like for Pompey as they look to keep hold of their head coach.
With that being said, there is clearly concern building around Fratton Park that the former midfielder could be on the radar of other sides moving forward.
This has seen Sporting Director Rich Hughes speak out to The News (9 May) about the future of Mousinho as talks continue with the manager.
He said: “Yes, I am concerned, just on the basis of what a wonderful job he is doing here, but John knows what we are trying to build – and there’s room to grow and room to keep getting better.
“We speak every day, and I know he is very happy at the football club. He feels there’s room to grow and keep getting better. That’s the really important thing for us as a football club and individuals, to keep making progress.
“I cannot speak for other clubs, I am sure John will be on the radar of clubs because he has done a wonderful, wonderful job here. I can’t speak for how other clubs operate, how they hire head coaches and what their MO is, it’s very difficult to say.”
Mousinho could still leave Portsmouth
There is no doubt that the former Oxford United man has done terrific work in PO4, which would make him a target for many clubs.
This could represent big trouble for Pompey in their mission to build a project and set their sights further up the Championship in the coming years.
| Matches | 124 |
| Wins | 56 |
| Draws | 34 |
| Losses | 34 |
If the hierarchy at Fratton Park wants to achieve their goals, they need to keep hold of the likes of Mousinho and Josh Murphy to maintain progress.
This could see progress build next season, regardless of six players already leaving Portsmouth at this stage of the window.