(Credit: Imago)

Joe Elvin

Sun 13 July 2025 10:00, UK

Portsmouth are looking to wrap up some more new signings before the new Championship season begins.

Pompey have recruited Adrian Segecic on a free transfer and look set to offer a contract to free agent John Swift.

However, John Mousinho has admitted he wants more new players to ensure his squad is prepared for the demands of a long Championship season.

Pompey have been linked with moves for Abu Kamara and Alex Robertson, who both enjoyed successful loan spells at Fratton Park in 2023-24.

Supporters have been demanding that their club bids for both players this summer, so they’ll be excited to hear what sporting director Rich Hughes has said about them.

Hughes shares thoughts on Portsmouth signing Kamara and Robertson

Portsmouth wanted to sign Abu Kamara last summer, but were priced out of a deal by Hull City.

It was a similar story with Robertson. Pompey wanted to sign the Australian midfielder, but they were outbid by Cardiff City.

However, both of these are going through tough times now. Cardiff were relegated to League One while Hull are struggling with significant financial issues.

Fans have questioned whether Pompey could now take advantage of their rivals’ dire situations and sign their players on cut-price deals.

In an interview with BBC Radio Solent (12 July), Hughes confirmed that Pompey are still interested in both Kamara and Robertson.

However, he suggested it might not be as easy as some people think to negotiate with Hull or Cardiff.

Pompey will do whatever they can to sign right players

Hughes said that Hull might be less inclined to sell players in their current financial situation, as they have been placed under a transfer embargo and wouldn’t be able to replace them.

He also suggested that Cardiff could be desperate to have Robertson lead their efforts to get promoted back to the Championship.

“Without knowing the inner workings of their finances and any of the detailed elements of the deal, it’d be hard to say whether it would be Cardiff’s prerogative to want to sell the player,” he said.

It’s clear that Portsmouth will do whatever they can to try and sign these two. Hughes and his team are pulling out all the stops behind the scenes to get some more deals done before the Championship season begins.

Although one transfer has been completed so far, that doesn’t mean Pompey’s recruitment team are being lazy or unambitious. It’s just difficult to compete for star players with Portsmouth’s limited budget.

Still, for now at least, Pompey fans can hold onto their slim hopes of seeing Kamara and Robertson in a Pompey shirt next season.

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