Portsmouth sporting director Richard Hughes has confirmed that the club will spend money in January if the club’s hierarchy believes it is a worthwhile investment.
Portsmouth fans are understandably panicking right now, ranging from moderate to extreme. Making the move up to the Championship isn’t often easy, and there might not be as much anxiety if the two promoted clubs (Derby County and Oxford United) were performing similarly poorly. But this is not how things are going.
While Derby and Oxford are vying for the top half of the standings, Pompey are at the bottom of the division.
Thoughts are already moving to January, with a strong desire among supporters to see reinforcements brought in, despite the arrival of 15 new faces this summer.
At Wednesday night’s Pompey Supporters’ Trust AGM, club director Eric Eisner expressed anxiety about having to rely on loan signings in the winter.
The club’s sporting director has subsequently intervened to clarify their strategy ahead of the new year.
Portsmouth’s sporting director outlines January plans.
Hughes has suggested that Pompey will be willing to spend in January, but that any players they intend to sign must be seen as “long-term investments.”
“We won’t be dealing only in loans, not at all,” the sporting director told The News. “This plan will be based on what best matches our needs and what we have available.
“What Eric was trying to say is that we have the opportunity and option to bring in loans if we believe it is the best thing to do. Our MO (Modus Operandi) for January is to bring in the finest players we believe will benefit us in the second half of the season and beyond.
“Whether it’s a long-term investment or a short-term loan, we’ll do whatever we think would help John (Mousinho, the manager) and the team keep battling and having the best
Chances of being in the division next year “I’ve mentioned it many times: it’s a case-by-case situation with the owners. They are always open to a strategy if they believe it is a good investment. So far, they have not said no to any of my requests.
“I believe they will make the monies available to us to help strengthen the group, as they did in January.
“January is generally a busy month for me. A lot of work needs to be done before anything can happen. It’s a very difficult window.
“In terms of what that looks like and in terms of definitives about players coming in and out, I don’t know at this point, but we
will be working up until the window and working extremely hard to strengthen the group.” Portsmouth should enjoy a successful January window, as they did last season. They finished with a slight lead above Derby. They concluded the campaign well, due in part to the additional lift provided by their January additions.
Pompey had 49 points from 22 games by Christmas Day 2023, a five-point lead over second place, and had only lost one league game all season. In their following five games, they lost three, won one, and drew one, reducing their lead to one point.
They took action. They signed Calum.
Lang, Tom McIntyre, and Owen Moxon were added in the last days of the January window, as was Myles Peart-Harris, who had joined on loan from Brentford around a week earlier. Between then and the end of the season, they only lost once, to Wigan Athletic in their final game at Fratton Park after winning the title.
The club saw that a problem was developing and addressed it effectively. That is what they will have to do again this time to retain their Championship status.
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