Portsmouth are preparing for Championship football, and they could do worse than strengthen their defence by signing Sean Morrison on a free transfer. As Portsmouth prepares to return to Championship football, John Mousinho will understand how essential this summer is.
The South Coast side will play second-tier football for the first time since 2012, and they hope to stay there for more than a season.
Mousinho has been outstanding since arriving at Fratton Park, with everything he touches turning to gold and his signings paying off.
Portsmouth supporters will hope that trend continues this summer, as the club will require significant additions to compete in the Championship.
All areas will be looked at by Mousinho, but it is pretty obvious that the club need to strengthen in defence, with centre-backs being quite light at the club. Therefore, it may be wise for Pompey to look at adding Sean Morrison to the club, as he is a free agent after leaving Rotherham United.
Sean Morrison leaves Rotherham United Sean Morrison has been a defender who has been around for some time now, playing for the likes of Reading FC, Huddersfield Town, and Cardiff City.
The 33-year-old was with the Bluebirds from 2014 to 2022, during which time he helped the club reach the top flight as well as remain in the second tier.
But his time came to an end in the summer of 2022, and while he was available as a free agent, he didn’t sign for his next club until January last year.
Rotherham United decided to sign the defender, but the move did not go as planned, with Morrison playing only twice in the second half of last season.
However, the center-back signed a contract deal last summer, committing to the club until the 2023/24 season.
This season went considerably better, as he appeared 27 times in the Championship for the Millers. However, given the Yorkshire club’s relegation after a disappointing season, they have opted to let the 33-year-old leave when his contract expires at the end of June.
Morrison is now available for free transfer, and while he is getting older, he could be an excellent addition for a recently promoted team like Portsmouth.
Portsmouth should look to sign free agent Sean Morrison this summer
As previously stated, Portsmouth is returning to the Championship for the first time since 2012, meaning the team will compete in a league populated primarily by League One and League Two players.
This isn’t a major disadvantage because players are demonstrating their ability to advance from these leagues to the second tier.
However, John Mousinho would most likely want to add some experience to his squad over the summer, as he does not want his players to be naive and not realize how difficult things will be at times.
Furthermore, in addition to wanting to add Championship experience to his team, Mousinho will most likely be searching recruit at least one central defender this summer.
This is because Pompey have opted to let Sean Raggett and Josh Dockerill depart the club after their contracts expire at the end of June. This means the club has Regan Poole, Tom McIntyre, Ryley Towler, and Conor Shaughnessy on their roster who can play center-back.
These are strong alternatives for Portsmouth, but one or two of them may still be moved on by the club, thus Pompey may need to add a centre-back or two to their squad to provide adequate options for the upcoming season.
Morrison might be a very sensible move for the South Coast side because, as noted, he is a free agent, and his experience in second-tier football could speak volumes for a team that has recently
Been promoted. Morrison appeared in 27 league games this season, starting 21 of them, and averaged roughly 72 minutes per game.
In those appearances, the defender scored once and assisted twice, while also creating one great chance for his teammates and receiving 0.4 vital passes. However, he was judged more on his defensive ability.
He averaged 1.1 interceptions per game, one tackle, and an outstanding 2.6 ball recoveries. He helped the Millers keep three clean sheets while on the field, which was not too awful given how bad they had been all season, according to Sofascore.com.
Morrison would not play every minute of every game, but he may be a valuable addition to the squad. Furthermore, he would be a valuable player if called upon, as he has 295 games of Championship experience.
It would also mean that Portsmouth would not have to spend money on a new centre-back, as they could get Morrison on a free transfer and use their transfer budget on other areas of the club.
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