Portsmouth must replace midfield ace to ‘avoid Championship relegation’
Portsmouth have a big hole to fill if they want to avoid relegation from the Championship.
John Mousinho’s men have been tipped to struggle next season, and on paper, it’s easy to see why.
Loan signings were critical in keeping Portsmouth in the Championship last season, but these players are set to return to their parent clubs.
Pompey could attempt to bring some familiar faces through the door again, such as defender Rob Atkinson.
However, this is not realistic for certain personnel that the Blues signed on loan last season, with one player not expected to return to the South Coast.
Pompey must replace Freddie Potts next season
Portsmouth sporting director Rich Hughes was full of praise for the role Freddie Potts played in the South Coast club finishing 16th.
However, Hughes did also admit that it would be unrealistic to bring the West Ham midfielder back to Fratton Park next season.
As a result, Hughes and the Pompey hierarchy are forced to look for alternatives in the market to strengthen Mousinho’s midfield.
| Freddie Potts | Championship stats 24/25 season |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 4 |
| Big chances created | 4 |
| Key passes per game | 0.9 |
| Interceptions per game | 1.1 |
| Tackles per game | 1.7 |
| Balls recovered per game | 4.0 |
Potts made 37 appearances for the Blues last season, becoming a fan favourite along the way.
The 21-year-old was able to influence the game at both ends of the pitch. Therefore, replacing the impact he had on the team will be far from easy.
Potts replacement is needed at Portsmouth
With how successful Potts’ loan spell was at Fratton Park, Pompey could leverage this in potential negotiations.
Pitching the South East as an environment where young players can be given a chance to develop and thrive under Mousinho could tempt Premier League clubs to sanction loans for their young talent looking for gametime.
The Blues are said to be interested in acquiring the services of Crystal Palace youngster Hindolo Mustpaha. Repeating the trick of gambling on a youngster from a Premier League club is always a risk, but as Potts has shown, the upsides can be massive.
Alternatively, Portsmouth could look abroad when conducting business to find a cheap, unknown alternative. This strategy has also paid off for Pompey in the past with the signing of Nicolas Schmid.
There are also uncertainties associated with this strategy if the player has no prior experience of playing in England. However, Portsmouth will not have the funds to simply go out and buy Potts.
Therefore, whatever strategy they use to attempt to replace him to the best of their ability is a crucial decision, and one that could ultimately decide whether Portsmouth can avoid relegation from the Championship.