Pompey are prepared to use the axe, but Rich Hughes is sure that the first-team door will not be closed to those on the receiving end.
Three players will be left out of the Blues’ 25-man roster according to Football League restrictions.
As a result, they will not be registered with Pompey until January, rendering them ineligible for first-team duty for the balance of 2024. The Blues were willing to selling Ben Stevenson and Tom Lowery late in the last transfer window, but despite some interest, both stay.
As a result, they are unlikely to be included in the 25-man team, leaving one spot open, maybe for the injured Colby Bishop.Hughes refused to comment on prospective names, but insisted that the three who missed out would not be shunned and would continue to practice with the first team.
The sporting director told The News: ‘There were definitely a few opportunities for a few players to go on deadline, but when the window closes with the season already underway, deals must be fair to all parties. We will always be respectful of it.
‘No one is upset if players do not make the squad; they have been advised of this and understand how it may affect them.
‘One of the assets of John, the coaching staff, and us as a football club is that no door is ever banged shut. I don’t see the purpose; you have to keep as many opportunities and options open as possible.
‘We’ll reassess in January, and if there are openings for those players, we’ll consider each one on its own merits, regardless of what has happened before.
‘We are three players over, and that is a conversation that will take place; we all have different thoughts and opinions about where it might fit.
We will make the finest decision for the football club. The players who fall on it will never be forgotten; they will be a part of it, and we will examine it in January.
‘Whether they work their way back into the group or look for other possibilities, we will respond accordingly, and they will continue to practice with the first squad.’
Hughes cites Denver Hume as an example of an out-of-favour player who remains a member of John Mousinho’s group.Despite being unable to sell him in the summer 2023 transfer window, the left-back played two Bristol Street Motors Trophy games before joining Grimsby in January.
Hughes added: ‘It was a well-documented scenario with Denver Hume last season in terms of him looking for a move away during the August transfer window, which did not happen for him.
‘He continued to train with the group and was named to the league bench in Burton (November 2023). He was never cast aside for anything, and Denver will attest to that.
‘He was told he’d be on the fringes of the squad, but he trained with them, worked hard, and, thanks to Denver, obtained a move to Grimsby and went straight into their team.’
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