Eisners ‘take £3.4m gamble on new midfielder’ in Mousinho backing
Portsmouth have been relatively inactive during the summer transfer window so far.
Adrian Segecic remains the only signing so far for John Mousinho’s side, arriving from Sydney FC.
Pompey are closing in on a deal to sign Mark Kosznovszky from MTK Budapest, who is set to replace Freddie Potts after he starred on loan last season.
Most of Portsmouth’s business so far has been outgoings, with nine players leaving thus far, but the South Coast side have made a swing for the fence.
Portsmouth gamble on Swift as medical booked
Now, it has emerged that John Swift is set for a surprise move to Fratton Park.
Swift, 30, is set to have a medical before putting pen to paper on a two-year deal, with the option of a third year.
The nature of his contract can be seen as a major gamble by the Eisners, as Swift was reportedly earning upwards of £22,000-a-week at the Hawthorns.
It has been suggested that Portsmouth would need to offer at least £15,000-a-week to sign the English midfielder, totalling £780k per year across three seasons – around £3.4million.
Given that the Fratton Park are known for not having much cash to spend, it is a gamble to set aside a large wage for Swift, even if he is a free signing.
Swift can shine for free-flowing Pompey if he puts in the work
To justify his wages, Swift needs to hit the ground running at Fratton Park.
Out of the teams that were embroiled in the relegation scrap last season, Pompey had the best attack by quite a distance, scoring 58 goals.
| John Swift career Championship stats | Total |
| Appearances | 335 |
| Goals | 57 |
| Assists | 50 |
The English midfielder has been described as a lightweight and lazy by West Brom supporters, and his spell ended with him being booed by Baggies fans.
He cannot get away with that at Portsmouth, as he will be playing for one of the lower sides in the division, whose aim is to avoid relegation once again.
When he’s on form, he’s a joy to watch, and now Mousinho needs to get that out of him consistently.
This is a sign of Mousinho being further back, and now it is over to Swift to show that he still has it.
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