Portsmouth want to sign player who’ll ‘make himself out to be Van Dijk’ – reaction
Portsmouth are eyeing up their first signing of the summer transfer window.
John Mousinho’s side are yet to make an addition to their squad this summer, having consolidated their place in the Championship with a 16th placed finish.
There are concerns over the competitiveness of Portsmouth’s budget, which is typically relatively small compared to some of their second-tier rivals.
As a result, Mousinho will need to be clever if he wants to strengthen his squad in multiple areas to progress the club further next term.
Fans react as Portsmouth line up Jonathan Tomkinson move
It has been a quiet transfer window at Fratton Park so far, and preparations for next season have perhaps not quite begun as Pompey fans would have hoped.
Mousinho himself has come under threat in recent weeks, having been linked with several other Championship jobs.
However, the opening transfer of Pompey’s window could now be in the works. The South Coast outfit have joined the race to sign defender Jonathan Tomkinson, who is set to be released by Norwich City, according to Larry Henry Jr (11 June).
Mousinho’s side are set to compete with the likes of Stockport County, Reading and Rotherham United for the American’s signature.
Pompey fans have responded with a strong reaction to the news. Many feel that the 23-year-old is not the type of player the club should be targeting.
Portsmouth fan’s concerns about Tomkinson are understandable
With the significant budgets of Birmingham and Wrexham entering the Championship next term, plus Charlton Athletic making their second tier return, there will be a concern among the clubs who survived the drop this term that the task of staying up could become an even harder one this term.
Both Birmingham and Wrexham won’t be expected to be anywhere near the bottom three, meaning the likes of Portsmouth will need to strengthen if they want to avoid falling into League One.
Pompey performed admirably in the second half of the season to preserve their Championship status, but with the club now needing to push on, signings like Tomkinson are not really what is needed.
The centre back is young enough to still have plenty of improvement to come, but as of yet, he has made just three appearances above League Two level in the EFL.
| Club | Apps |
| Bradford City (Loan) | 28 |
| Ross County (Loan) | 13 |
| Stevenage | 8 |
| Norwich City | 3 |
He spent the last few months on loan at Ross County, but was unable to stop them slipping to relegation to the Scottish Championship.
The fact that Portsmouth are being linked with a player who has such little experience in the EFL is understandably a major concern for Pompey fans, who will have been hopeful of avoiding a relegation battle next year.
If this is the type of signing that the club are eyeing, Mousinho can surely expect to spend next season firefighting as well.