Portsmouth familiar face could be back at Fratton Park after shock exit news
Portsmouth are preparing for another tough season in the Championship after securing a respectable 16th-place finish this time around.
It can be considered ‘mission accomplished’ for the Blues, whose aim at the start of the campaign was to remain in the division.
It could be even tougher next season, though, as three capable sides – Birmingham City, Wrexham and Charlton Athletic – have all been promoted from League One.
The goal for the summer will surely be to recruit enough players so that the squad is capable of avoiding a relegation scrap in 2026.
Familiar face could return to Fratton Park
Portsmouth will come up against arch-rivals Southampton in the league next season, as well as Ipswich Town and Leicester City, who were also relegated from the Premier League.
And they might even be welcoming a familiar face to Fratton Park, following the latest news of a Championship manager likely to be leaving their post.
Chris Wilder looks set to leave Sheffield United after failing to lead them to promotion this season, and former Pompey midfielder Gary O’Neil is among the bookies’ favourites to take his job.
You can get odds of 9/2 for O’Neil to become the next Sheffield United manager, according to Sportscasting UK. The only person with shorter odds is former Everton and Burnley manager Sean Dyche.
Pompey fans will be pleased to keep hold of Mousinho
The average lifespan of a football manager in the Championship seems to be shortening all the time.
Pompey boss John Mousinho is already the longest-serving manager among last season’s 24 Championship sides, and he has not even been there for three years.
If O’Neil does replace Wilder at Bramall Lane, he’ll need to get them firing quickly, otherwise he’ll be looking for a new job once again. That’s the nature of modern football.
| Next Sheffield United manager: favourites | |
| Sean Dyche | 11/4 |
| Gary O’Neil | 9/2 |
| Steve Cooper | 5/1 |
| Paul Heckingbottom | 10/1 |
| Gareth Southgate | 12/1 |
Quite frankly, Pompey fans won’t care who’s in the dugout for the Blades as long as it’s not Mousinho.
Their beloved manager has already been linked with so many different managerial jobs this summer. Mousinho was among the favourites to be appointed at Bristol City, Watford and West Brom, to name a few.
As things stand, the bookies don’t think he’s in the running for the Sheffield United job, and that’s great news for the Fratton Faithful.