John Mousinho already faces obvious Mark Kosznovsky headache at Portsmouth
Portsmouth paid big money for Mark Kosznovszky, but he may have to wait to make his mark on the Championship.
Kosznovszky arrives at Fratton Park with high expectations. The transfer fee paid to MTK Budapest was undisclosed, although it’s believed to be around the £1million mark.
However, it’s unlikely that he’ll be deemed ready to start Portsmouth’s opening league game against Oxford on Saturday.
Kosznovszky and Le Roux will need time to adapt to demands of the Championship
Kosznovszky and Luke Le Roux were both signed on the same day late in July.
Portsmouth looked short in centre-midfield before this double-signing, but they look well stacked in this position now.
Some have suggested that Le Roux’s and Kosznovszky’s arrivals might spell the end for Marlon Pack starting in midfield, especially considering that the Blues have signed John Swift as well.
However, the Oxford game might come too soon for both of Pompey’s new stars.
Both Le Roux and Kosznovsky were only given a few minutes on the pitch in Portsmouth’s final pre-season friendly against PEC Zwolle.
While they didn’t look out of place in the Portsmouth midfield, it would be a big ask for them to adapt to the demands of the Championship so quickly.
Segecic and Swift have proven themselves worthy of Portsmouth starting place
Adrian Segecic and John Swift signed much earlier in the summer.
They have been given long run-outs in several pre-season games and have had time to adapt to John Mousinho’s tactics.
Segecic has looked particularly sharp in these friendlies, and there’s a lot of excitement around Portsmouth fans about what he could achieve this season.
The Championship might prove to be a steep learning curve for Segecic, but he has shown enough to earn a starting place against Oxford this Saturday.
| Adrian Segecic 2024-25 Sydney FC statistics | |
| Appearances | 35 |
| Goals | 18 |
| Assists | 3 |
Meanwhile, this division is like a second home to Swift, who looks set to start alongside Andre Dozzell in central midfield.
Kosznovsky and Le Roux will likely start on the bench, ready to make an impact if called upon.
However, they’re far more likely to be used in the Carabao Cup match against Reading next Tuesday. This competition is of lesser importance to the Blues and could therefore be the perfect game to help bed them into English football.
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