Portsmouth icon frontrunner for Leicester City job after Dyche and Wilder twist
Portsmouth may have sealed Championship survival with two games to spare last season, but the division will arguably be tougher this time around.
As well as three strong teams being relegated from the Premier League, Pompey will have to face two promoted sides with large transfer budgets, as well as their bogey side Charlton Athletic.
They may also witness one of their former players in the opposing dugout, following a new update on the vacant Leicester City manager job.
Gary O’Neil the frontrunner for Leicester job
Leicester are among the favourites to win the Championship next season, despite parting ways with their manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
Sean Dyche and Chris Wilder were the initial favourites to replace Van Nistelrooy as Leicester boss.
However, ex-Pompey midfielder Gary O’Neil has now emerged as a frontrunner for the job.
According to Sky Sports (7 July), it’s now a shootout between O’Neil and Wilder for the job.
O’Neil is a former manager of Bournemouth and Wolves, keeping both in the Premier League in testing circumstances.
Based on his CV, he would be a solid bet to keep Leicester in the top division if they were to be promoted.
Pompey fans will be happy to keep Mousinho as new Championship season nears
O’Neil is likely to get a warm welcome from Portsmouth fans if he returns to Fratton Park as an opposing manager.
But, ultimately, the Fratton faithful won’t care too much about who’s in the opposing dugout. They’ll be too concerned with roaring their team on to victory.
Their manager John Mousinho was being linked with a string of vacant Championship jobs in the summer. They’ll be grateful that this only turned out to be rumours and that this type of speculation has died down.
Whoever is in the Leicester dugout, Pompey fans will fancy their chances. Their home record against the division’s strongest teams was impressive, only losing against one of the top six last season.
| Pompey’s home record against the top six last season | |
| 1. Leeds | Won 1-0 |
| 2. Burnley | Drew 0-0 |
| 3. Sheffield United | Drew 0-0 |
| 4. Sunderland | Lost 1-3 |
| 5. Coventry | Won 4-1 |
| 6. Bristol City | Won 3-0 |
Provided they can keep Mousinho in their dugout, the home fans will expect their team to give anyone a game once again.
Leicester visit Fratton Park on 18 April, 2026.
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