Portsmouth receive huge Josh Murphy boost ahead of transfer deadline day
Portsmouth fans are hoping that the club doesn’t ruin their summer by agreeing to sell Josh Murphy.
Leicester City have made a £3million bid for Murphy, which was rejected, but it has been suggested they might return with a higher offer.
If Portsmouth were to sell their star man now, it would leave them worryingly short in attack with barely any time to make reinforcements.
Murphy was the star man in the victory against Preston on Saturday. He certainly wasn’t playing like someone who wanted to leave Fratton Park.
Leicester now showing interest in Josh Murphy alternative
John Mousinho has insisted that Murphy is not for sale, but football fans know that these soundbites don’t always reveal the whole picture.
That’s why Portsmouth supporters will be relieved to hear that Leicester are now targeting other options for left-sided wingers.
According to Alan Nixon, the Foxes are exploring a deal for Crystal Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.
This adds more substance to the news that Portsmouth have sent a serious ‘hands off’ warning with regards to Murphy.
Still, until Leicester sign a left winger, many Pompey fans could be anxiously refreshing transfer news for the next couple of days.
What do Portsmouth need in the transfer window?
When the rumours surrounding Murphy initially emerged, many Portsmouth fans would have been happy for the transfer window to close early.
Pompey have spent well this summer, and have a much stronger squad than this time last year. If they were to resist any bids for their star players over the next two days, the Blues would be in a great position to improve on last season’s 16th-place finish.
With that said, they do look somewhat short in attack. If Murphy or Colby Bishop were to get injured, there isn’t an abundance of proven quality waiting to replace them.
Mousinho has said that he’s still looking for options as the transfer window nears its end.
It would be the ideal window if he could somehow sign:
- a winger or two
- another striker to challenge Bishop
- a Championship-proven centre-midfielder.
That might be a bit much to ask, especially considering Portsmouth’s budget. As long as Murphy isn’t sold, most fans will be happy with what they’ve already received.
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