Josh Knight will regret Portsmouth move after Conor Shaughnessy comments
Portsmouth have had a great start to the 2025/26 campaign, and much of that is down to their backline.
While John Mousinho brought in numerous players to reinforce his defence this season, the back four has largely been made up of stars who were already at the South Coast club.
So far, this has paid off, with Pompey only conceding three goals in the Championship to date, the joint lowest in the division.
Yet, this has meant players such as Josh Knight, who signed for Portsmouth in the summer, are still waiting for a chance to shine.
Conor Shaughnessy: Regan Poole is my favourite centre-back partner
The main partnership that Mousinho has opted for in central defence this season has been Conor Shaughnessy and Regan Poole.
Together, the Portsmouth duo have been formidable and kept another clean sheet against Southampton on Sunday.
Poole has already expressed his desire to see Portsmouth move up the table, and now this has been showing in his performances.
As a result, Shaughnessy has come out and delivered a complimentary interview about the Welsh international before the Sheffield Wednesday game.
In one section of his interview with The News on 17 September, he said: “Regan has been brilliant this season, it’s obvious in every game he has played. I love playing alongside him, we have formed a good partnership.
- Knight signed for Portsmouth from Hanover in the summer
- So far, he has only played 11 minutes for Pompey
- Knight was an unused subsitute against Southampton
“In my career, he’s the centre-half partner I have enjoyed playing with the most. He’s a great player and I am sure he’ll get better.”
However, remaining on the sidelines is Knight, who joined Pompey from Hanover, aiming to resurrect his career in England.
Now, these comments from this teammate could result in the partnership rarely being broken up, especially with the recent success backing up Shaughnessy’s claims.
Therefore, Knight may now be regretting his move to Fratton Park, with the defender still only having 11 minutes to his name at Portsmouth.
Can Josh Knight force his way into Portsmouth’s starting XI
As it stands, all Knight can do is prove to Mousinho that he deserves to be starting over one of the two central defenders.
While this is no doubt a difficult task, it is not impossible, with the defender producing some decent stats in Germany.
| League stats from the 2024/25 campaign per 90 minutes | Josh Knight |
| Tackles won | 0.74 |
| Interceptions | 0.98 |
| Blocks | 0.18 |
| Aerial duels won | 3.32 |
| Passing accuracy | 76.4% |
| Shots | 0.74 |
| Goals | 0.18 |
| Chances created | 0.31 |
Eventually, Knight is likely to get a run out, whether it is from the bench or simply through an injury or suspension.
When the chance comes, the defender will have to replicate these feats, or he could find himself on the bench for the majority of the season.
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