Summer Recruitment Plan 2024 — Portsmouth FC
For the first time in over a decade, Portsmouth FC are back in the Championship, let’s see how I’d like us to recruit!
The state of play
For the first time in an incredibly long time, we’re back in the second tier of English football, and it feels so sweet! But let’s be real, the current squad needs a lot of work, and a bit of surgery to fine-tune it ahead of a campaign that’ll ideally see us finish in and around the bottom half of the table, although anything above the relegation zone would be superb!
With the addition of Brad Wall as Head of Recruitment, our data-scouting is taking another leap into the modern age, and will further build upon the methodology and model that Sporting Director, Rich Hughes, has crafted with such diligence and care. It’s vital we don’t stray too far away from the current recruitment model of signing players on the up, or ones who are perhaps undervalued in the market for a number of reasons, whilst trying to trickle in some valuable EFL (not necessarily just Championship) experience.
Before we talk about who Portsmouth could potentially sign this summer under my stewardship, it’s well worth exploring who will be leaving the club, either on a temporary or permanent basis. I thought I’d set myself the challenge of also suggesting a potential destination for each player, just for that added bit of spice.
Outgoings: Ryley Towler (Northampton, loan), Terry Devlin (Walsall, loan), Toby Steward (Dorking Wanderers, loan), Anthony Scully (Wycombe, loan), Ben Stevenson (Cheltenham, permanent), Tom Lowery (Notts County, permanent)
Ryley Towler is in desperate need of a loan, a defender with bags of potential but one who needs a lot of refinement (notably in the mental side of his game) and a full year of football under his belt. Terry Devlin is much the same, a player who I love and massively enjoy watching, but for his development it’s so important he’s playing EFL football week in week out next season, it’s very hard to say if he’ll go out on loan to L1 or L2. The dream for Toby Steward is for him playing step one or two football for the upcoming campaign, with him being able to return as an emergency second choice if the worst happens, or him moving up a level in January.
I’m not sure the club have completely given up on Scully yet, but I doubt he’ll be playing football in a Portsmouth shirt next season, so a mid-table League One loan could work quite nicely. Ben Stevenson is a player I like, but let’s be real, I doubt he’ll ever be good enough to play for Portsmouth in the Championship, so a League Two starting berth would be nice for Steago Alcantara. Notts County are a club with a lot of ambition, and one who demand their midfielders to be slick on the ball, good in pockets, so could potentially identify Tom Lowery as a player with League One ability, but a fitness record that could deter other clubs at a higher level. Although for what it’s worth, I’d be absolutely fine seeing Portsmouth’s best pocket player get another year in blue. A return to Crewe could also work.
So, with all that said and done, let’s get into potential incomings. The way this is going to work is that I’ll recommend around five options per position, mainly led from an initial data search of over 2,700 players from 10+ leagues (predominantly in Europe), then followed up with video analysis to find the right targets and to help contextualise the statistics. You’ll get a summary of each player and a cheeky little graph, and at the end of the article I’ll explain who I’ve picked and how we could line up next season with our new additions — Let’s ride!
Backup goalkeeper — Profile
Profile: Good shot-stopper, average distribution, comfortable claiming crosses, left footed (bonus)
This can be a very, very difficult role to recruit, more than people give credence to. On the flipside however, you can be quite creative with it, you can go for an experienced head, a young upcoming pro, or even someone who “knows the club” and is a bit of a fan favourite! The most crucial thing though, is expectation, and signing a player who has the ambition and the hunger to push for the starting berth, but not kicking up a fuss if they fail to dislodge the current number one. Important to note however, I am not a goalkeeper, I’m not qualified to analyse goalkeepers, so this is an area that I may get a few things wrong in!
Potential targets — 1 needed
Option one: Max Stryjek — Perm
Just gonna be straight up with this one, Max Stryjek is the best, and most logical, backup GK option on the market, not many come close. An accomplished League One goalkeeper with ambitions of playing at a higher level, who went through a bit of a sticky patch over the year but has been rejuvenated with confidence following a really solid emergency loan spell to Crewe.
A shot-stopper with really good goalkeeping fundamentals, gets his body behind the ball on a consistent basis, and a pretty accomplished all-round package with more than serviceable distribution, a strong physique to contend with physical opponents, and a seemingly really positive personality that can contribute toward an already harmonious dressing room and goalkeepers union.
He isn’t the most agile goalkeeper, and doesn’t always get down to low shots in the corners the quickest, so I have concerns over him facing Championship forwards who can find the corners on a consistent basis, but apart from that I don’t have too many complaints — very solid keeper!
Option two: Brian Maher — Perm
Brian Maher is a goalkeeper I’ve admired for a long-time, and in my opinion, if you want a goalkeeper who can come in and really compete for that starting berth, rather than being content with being the recognised number two, you chat to Brian.
One of the most promising upcoming goalkeepers in the Irish Premiership, a really ‘springy’ goalkeeper who excels at closing down angles, and possesses quick reflexes. Maher is someone who I suggested last year that we sign after getting promoted, and my thought process remains the same! He won’t just represent great value now, but has serious potential to grow into our recognised first choice over the next year or so.
In terms of my concerns with Brian, similarly to Max Stryjek, he can be relatively slow to get down to shots in the corners, this is a coachable area, but one to highlight nonetheless, as with higher quality forwards, they’re going to be better and better at finding the corners with their shots and punishing you more than those at a lower level of football.
Option three: Craig MacGillivray — Perm
First things first, utterly hilarious looking pizza chart in comparison to when he was at Portsmouth, in particular why he was released. This is very much my ‘knows the club’ pick, and I’m doing very well not to suggest we just re-sign Matt Macey as he’s literally the perfect backup GK but whatever…
Craig is a weird one as despite being a rather accomplished EFL goalkeeper, he’s struggled to nail down a home anywhere, partly because possession-based managers have arrived at his club and moved him on, understandably so — which is why we probably won’t pursue Cmac this summer.
Saying that though, he’s still really positive when narrowing shooting angles, get’s down to meet shots quickly, has perfectly good long-distribution, and possesses good reflexes to react to snap-shots. My concerns with Craig are that he can occasionally get caught in no-mans-land a bit too much, not quite sticking to his line or getting tight to a forward. I do also have serious concerns about how he’ll fair under the pressure of a Championship press when in build-up.
Option four: Sam Sargeant — Perm
Sam’s a goalkeeper who’s had a really good past year, nailing down a starting spot with Irish side Waterford and seeing them promoted to the Premiership, and then performing very admirably in the top flight. And although unproven in the Championship, I feel this could be a really nice under the radar pickup, especially with his contract being up in November and Waterford potentially losing him on a free.
From a backup goalkeeper, you don’t have to be outstanding in all areas, but undoubtedly the most important thing is keeping the ball out of the net, and Sam does just that, with good technique and really strong goalkeeping statistics. He moves well and gets across the goal quickly to both catch and parry, and although his distribution isn’t perfect, as he can rush things too much at times, it’s certainly serviceable, and he’s very willing to show for the ball to create a +1 in deep build-up.
In terms of his weaknesses, he can be prone to spilling the ball in dangerous areas at times, which we can all agree is far from ideal, especially when all championship forwards need is one or two mistakes and they’ll punish you. A goalkeeper in a really good moment in his career, potentially one to keep an eye on.
Option five: Max Thompson — Loan
Although clubs can be a little reluctant to loan out their young goalkeepers when they aren’t guaranteed to get consistent minutes, I thought it’d be worth including one just so we can cover all out bases. Max performed relatively well when out on loan at Northampton in the first half of the season, before being recalled to become third choice at St James’ Park, then penning a contract extension for the north-east giants.
Max is a goalkeeper who covers the goal well, and although he lacks that ‘springiness’ I love, he gets down to shots pretty quickly, often tipping them wide rather than holding them, another positive is that he makes himself big on a consistent basis when 1 v 1 with opposition forwards, limiting shooting angles and rushing their decision making.
His distribution, both long and short is very much okay, but we’ve seen Joe Prodomo have the ability to improve goalkeepers’ ball-playing capabilities through his coaching. Max has the added bonus that he’s left footed, which means if Shaughnessy and Poole are starting together, you get a left-footed player in build-up. I doubt this one will happen, for a number of reasons (including geography), but he’d undoubtedly push Will Norris whilst also testing himself at a higher level when he gets the opportunities to do so.
Option six: Louie Moulden — Perm
Louie Moulden is potentially a pretty under the radar but genius pickup if we want a realistic backup goalkeeper who can challenge for the starting berth in a few seasons time. Louie enjoyed a really fruitful loan spell at Rochdale before returning to Northampton, displaying incredible composure and distribution for a goalkeeper playing in the fifth tier of English football, although is long-distribution could do with a bit of refinement.
Always positive with his first touch, Moulden isn’t just a goalkeeper who’s good on the ball, he also does the fundamentals well, and keeps the ball out of the net with good technique that is reflected in the data. My concerns are, as we spoke about earlier, his long distribution, but also that he doesn’t always get his body set correctly (as far as I can tell), at times not being completely behind the ball, and sometimes getting too low. Fixable issues though.
Centrebacks – Profile
Profile: Right-sided (ideally), ball-carrying, comfortable defending wide areas, good recovery pace, aerial threat (bonus)
When you take into account Ryley Towler going out on loan, Portsmouth only have three senior centre backs in the building; one of which is undoubtedly talented but approaching the final stage of rehabbing an ACL injury, another is a very reliable, and the third is a solid defender but horribly injury prone, so a fourth is needed.
Potential targets — 1 needed
Option one: George Edmundson — Perm
Edmundson is obviously a player we were linked with in January, and with Ipswich getting promoted to the Premier League this one becomes even more likely if we were to reignite that sweet sweet interest. George is a player I’ve been a fan of since his Oldham days, when we were linked to him during the bleak Kenny Jackett era, and to date I’m still a big fan of his! Not only is he a really experienced, yet not old, player, but he’s also a winner, with a couple of promotions under his belt.
Physically he’s really impressive, big frame, broad shoulders and an air of calm in physical battles due to his ability to stand shoulder to shoulder with most duelling partners, especially when he’s got either the byline or the touchline to lend him a helping hand. In terms of his ball-playing, his long-range passes often find their targets (but can be slightly too lofted at times), and he’s very comfortable with hitting line-breaking passes into midfield or up to a double 10, and also pretty capable of building up play when under pressure.
One challenge/issue for George will be having to play considerably more minutes and matches than he has in a fair whack of time, the last season in which he played 30+ matches was 2021/22, then the last time before that was 2018/19, so you’re asking a lot of him from a physical standpoint. Also, when defending transitions, his deceleration and timing could do with some work, often overshooting his opponents or pressing into midfield too early.
Option two: Lewis Freestone — Perm
Lewis is another player who I’ve admired a lot for a couple of years, and someone I recommended we sign in January. Freestone has the added bonus of being part of a relegated side without looking shit, which is always a nice touch, it also means he’ll (obviously) cost a bit less, Bargain Booze mate.
One Brucie bonus of signing Lewis is that he’s very capable of playing leftback in our system, and if we are going to sign a leftback, I honestly think Freestone is your guy. He’s very comfortable in defensive duels both in deep & wide positions, but also when he’s tasked with winning the ball back high up the pitch and being asked to back up the press. He’s got a lot of goal-threat from set-pieces, often finding himself on the end of flick-ons and knockdowns, and is very happy to fully commit and throw himself at second balls to get efforts on goal.
The next steps for Lewis it to test himself in a team that wants to dominate the ball and give their defenders and pivot the players to dictate the tempo of the game, which we haven’t consistently seen from him so far, so it remains to be seen if this is something he can do long-term. One downside I guess is that we likely won’t be looking for a left-sided centre-half unless Mousinho shifts Shaughnessy to the RCB slot, but personally I don’t see that happening.
Option three: Sam Fisher — Perm
Sam is very much a player to bring in with a view of him being the successor to Regan Poole at the RCB slot, in case we shift Regan to RB, or he moves on in the next few seasons for whatever reason. He’s far from the finished article, and there are a few areas that I have concerns over until he can take that next big ‘development leap’, but the profile and the potential is certainly there. I can see pretty clearly what he needs to do in order to improve from a data perspective, and these are very much attainable improvements. Fwiw, my super magical fun times spreadsheet has him ranked 51/606 centrebacks.
He’s a pretty dominant player in physical battles, most notably aerial duels, his approach could do with a little bit of work in order to stop getting pinned by opposition CFs so often, but it’s definitely workable. Sam is comfortable stepping out with the ball and taking on opposition forwards 1 v 1, I’d like to see him play a line-breaking pass once he’s broken the first line of pressure more often, but when he’s playing with midfielders more comfortable on the ball I’m sure he’ll be far more willing to fizz passes into them when they’re under pressure. If he can add a little more disguise and detail on his forward passes it’ll do him a world of good, as at times they’re a little bit too telegraphed and the pace on the ball is imperfect.
I genuinely worry for him in wide 1 v 1 scenarios, often his body is far too upright, failing to fix his eyes the ball and finds himself flat-footed. These are teachable aspects, to an extent, but even with him being a more long-term ‘project signing’ you’ll need him to step up and count in big moments where it matters, just look at some of the players we had this season who seized the moment when it mattered most, regardless if they were young or old. Show him some Trevoh Chalobah clips, that’ll help him quite a lot.
Option four: Josh Knight — Perm
In a way, Josh Knight is probably the B-side of that Peterborough centreback pairing with Ronnie Edwards, yet by no means is he a bad player at all. Although he’s out of contract, he has been offered a new deal by Peterborough, which means compensation will be due if he signs with any other club. For the bonus element of Josh signing, he’s got experience playing in a few different positions, which is always nice!
Josh is incredibly comfortable with the ball at his feet, both when it comes to stepping out and committing players to him (a quality that Mousinho views as non-negotiable when it comes to his centrebacks), but also in terms of playing passes into midfield and beyond. He’s got pretty good attacking instincts in the box from set-pieces, with both intelligent movement to pull away from his marker, but also the physicality and bravery to compete in those shoulder to shoulder duels.
His biggest defensive drawback is that he struggles to shift his weight fully from foot to foot, so when you get a winger who feints one way and then fully snaps onto their other foot, he can find himself in trouble, but outside of that his 1 v 1 technique is actually pretty solid, momentum can be a killer! Aerially he’s pretty decent, the issue for him is when he can’t pin his opponent and they get a run on him, he can find himself stuck under the duel as he can’t get any momentum to attack the ball.
Right-backs – Profile
Profile: Capable 1 v 1 defender, strong athleticism, solid crossing, stamina to back the press up at times, ability to underlap in the final third (bonus)
In an ideal world, Zak Swanson quits playing hard to get and signs the contract extension, meaning we only need to recruit one right back, but on the off-chance we need to sign two, feel free to pick one 1 v 1 duellist, and one really technically secure fullback from the following options!
Potential targets — 1 needed
Option one: Sam Curtis — Loan
Sam is a right back I’ve tracked for roughly a year now, and although he’s recently moved to now relegated Sheffield United, there’s a chance they’ll still look to loan him out next season, which is where we step in. For his relative lack of experience, I really like the way he uses the ball, his cross selection is pretty tidy, although is technique could do with a little bit of work at time (nothing that can’t be corrected through extras).
In defensive 1 v 1 moments he’s a bit of a mixed bag, he shows really good patience at times to delay and won’t bite when his opponent tries to feint or manipulate his body, but there are also points where his timing of when to jump out to his man, or when to stick his foot in is well off. Saying that though, his body positioning is pretty good, and there’s good defensive fundamentals there that can be built on with more EFL experience and video-based feedback.
Option two: Peter Kioso — Perm
Peter Kioso had a delightful loan spell with Peterborough United this previous season, scoring highly in the majority of KPIs, and performing very highly in a team that was challenging in the top rungs of the league whilst he was there. Kioso has immaculate timing and understanding of momentum in defensive 1 v 1s, this understanding of time and space is such a beautiful quality in fullbacks (and midfielders fwiw), and although this is a quality that CAN be taught, it’s even better when players already come with it. Despite not being the oldest, he also comes with real leadership qualities, being handed the captaincy at Peterborough during his loan stint, before being recalled in January.
In terms of growth areas for Kioso to take him to the next level, you’ve gotta look at his crossing. He gets himself into good areas on a consistent basis, but his cross selection and technique leaves a bit to be desired in certain moments. He could do with a bit of work in assessing where his teammates are in the box before deciding on his cross. And when crossing the ball on the move, aiming for the back-post zone, his delivery lacks the consistency you’d really want, although it is crucial to note that crossing the ball on the move is probably the hardest type of delivery to pull off.
Option three: Kanayochukwu Megwa — Perm
The young Hibernian right back is currently out on loan at Airdrie in the second tier of Scottish football, and has just one year remaining on his contract, so this is a pick-up that could represent fantastic long-term value for the football club.
Defensively, similarly to Sam Curtis, my biggest worry about Megwa is his timing. Not in that he’ll give away sloppy penalties a la Charlie Daniels, but he’s quite passive in his style, which allows opponents to dictate the duel, rather than Megwa dominating the conversation. This is coachable, and he shows some decent defensive fundamentals that can be built on, but its something to remain wary of in the short-term. It’s also important to note he has a good understanding of how to use his body in duels when he’s beaten, and has the athleticism to cover a good amount of space.
One massive positive to Kanayo’s game is his offensive output, first of all he’s a very willing runner and width-holder, happy to go on the overlap to commit a man or run 1 v 1 with the ball and back himself over distance. Then when he reaches the final third he’s got a really nice cross selection, his preferred being a cross from a deeper position (at times in the half-space) to the back-post zone, and even more positively, he doesn’t rush his actions, he has the patience to absorb the information in front of him.
Option four: Fin Stevens — Loan
Fin is a right back I’ve liked for roughly a year or so now, one with very intelligent defensive instincts, having a strong ability to recognise danger early, and the positioning to limit angles and delay his opponent when 1 v 1. He’s also got really good footwork patterns that allow him to make adjustments on the fly to either react to his opponent or dictate the duel, as well as having the intelligence of when to go out and meet his man, and when to narrow and sit in his block.
The next step for Fin is to become even more involved in forward areas, because the quality is there, it’s just a case of giving him the license to flourish in the final third, which will be made possible by Ogilvie (or another 1 v 1 specialist) at LB, and Regan Poole at RCB. Fin’s got pretty solid cross selection, and although his technique and detail on his crossing could do with some work, it’s all about having him familiarised with those pictures on a regular basis. One little growth area in terms of his crossing though would be his deliveries from the byline, he’s struggled to pick out targets, mainly because he’s found it difficult to get around the ball enough at times.
Option five: Jamie Shackleton — Perm
Although he’s still very young at only 24, Jamie feels like someone who’s been around for years, and someone I’m sure everyone has signed on Football Manager or FIFA career mode! And for good reason, he’s a player with a lot of promise, and has the capability of playing both at fullback and in midfield, which essentially lets you ‘cheat’ a position.
Jamie has got a good amount of mobility, which allows him to utilise another area of his game, that being running from deep to underlap a winger, dragging opposition defenders out of the way to open up a shooting lane. If the profile of our right winger is one who’s first two touches take them to the corner of the box to either shoot or cross, this could work perfectly. Another way it could work is if the winger wants to hug the touchline, Shackleton’s run can then open up a passing lane to one of the pivot players pushing high and then attacking the edge of the box.
I do have concerns about him defending against super direct and athletic wingers, he really struggled when Leeds came up against Peterborough in the FA Cup, so you might be asking a lot of him when he’s playing in a side that won’t be ball-dominant, and regularly coming up against wingers of that quality. One defensive positive though, when taking into account the required profile, is that he’s pretty comfortable backing up the press, and as we said previously, has the physical capacity of making up that distance.
Option six: Reuell Walters — Perm
Now, I nearly didn’t include Walters in this list, as I wasn’t certain I loved the idea of loaning him in, but news (The Athletic) has recently broke that he’s going to be rejecting Arsenal’s contract offer and leaving on a free this summer, which opens up the door to yours truly! Before I speak about his strengths and weaknesses, Reuell is a player with a hell of a lot of potential, and being U21 he helps with registration rules. I watched most of Arsenal U21s games in the first half of the season, and although Reuell wasn’t the player I was specifically keeping an eye on, he always stood out.
Immediately a big bonus, he’s comfortable backing up the press, and on top of that, he’s played a lot of football in similar-ish areas to what he’ll be asked to do here, so pictures will be pretty familar to him. Outside of that, he’s got a good physical build, and gets across the pitch relatively well, which is always good to see. And his defensive fundamentals are pretty solid, although he does get his feet tangles up at points so it might be worth working on his footwork patterns!
The elephant in the room is that Reuell completely lacks first team playing experience, which is fine at his age, but I have concerns if we bring him in to share right back minutes with Zak Swanson, it’s a signing I’d prefer to see to replace Swanson as out ‘project’ right back and then bring one in with more first team minutes in their legs. I also don’t love him in isolated 1 v 1 moments when he has the ball, in EFL Trophy games he hasn’t faired well when the opposition can push him against the touchline.
8s – Profile
Profile: More advanced of the two pivot players, very strong ball-progression via either passes or carries, understanding of how to manipulate the opposition press in build-up, press resistant, goal threat (bonus)
Ideally Marlon Pack manages to play 35+ games as our pivot player next season, allowing recruitment to focus on signing an 8 comfortable playing in the double pivot, then having Joe Morrell + friends share any minutes as a 6 when Pack needs resting or is unavailable. Mousinho asks a hell of a lot of his pivot players, so this is one of the most crucial positions on the pitch, and should be reflected in the quality of our recruitment.
Potential targets — 1 or 2 needed
Option one: Alex Robertson — Loan
I’m not sure I actually need to say much about Robbo, I’m on record saying that he’s one of the most audaciously talented young midfielders I’ve seen at League One level in a very long time, and as a bonus, I’m pretty certain his game will translate very nicely to the Championship.
ELITE at picking up the ball in tight pockets of space both in deep build-up and in the final third to help link play with his complete press-resistance and ability to turn quickly with his low centre of gravity. Although he earned a lot of praise for his performances as the #10 early on in the campaign, I actually considerably prefer him as the more advanced of the two pivot players, being given a hell of a lot of responsibility in all phases and thirds of the game.
The next steps for Robertson is to put a whole season of high performances together without any big injuries to set him back, on top of this, he needs to keep challenging himself at higher levels year on year, so Portsmouth is quite literally the perfect loan move for him.
Option two: Kamiel Van De Perre — Perm
Kamiel is a player I really like, he’s a U21 Belgian capable of playing in a number of midfield roles, and he’s rumoured to be departing Genk on a free in the summer, potentially we can step-in and give him a tasty little sales pitch, there’s a chance we can sign a midfielder with a hell of a lot of potential for the grand total of £0.
Really proficient both defensively and with the ball and fits that second 6 position like a glove. Kamiel has a really good level of ball retention when put under pressure, he won’t always attempt a Hollywood turn, but he knows when to check back and relieve pressure by shifting the ball to a teammate in space. He’s got a real eye for a pass both in deep build-up and high up the pitch, at times opting to utilise scooped balls or reverse passes to break the lines.
Challenging himself at a higher level is the natural next step for Kamiel, and it says a lot about his character that he wants to get a move that allows him to play regularly in a more competitive division than the Belgian second tier. When it comes to growth areas for him, I’d like to see him add more goal threat to his game, as well as being a little bit more creative when higher up the pitch, these are the type of qualities that can turn him into a brutal force in the next half-decade or so.
Option three: Marc Leonard — Loan
Marc Leonard is a player that it feels like we’ve been chasing for a while and for good reason! The Brighton Academy player has had a couple of really successful loan spells with Northampton over the past few seasons, and now the ambition for Marc should really be to translate those performances into the Championship, constantly challenging himself and striving to perform at a higher level season on season.
Very proficient both with and without the ball, Marc Leonard is an incredibly responsible midfielder, with the tenacity and guile to break-up play, but then having the ability to hurt teams in-transition with ambitious and threatening passes. He’s also pretty good for a goal (he scored an absolute beauty at Fratton Park), with decent ball-striking technique, but what’s better is his timing and positional awareness to pick up good areas around the edge of the box. However, I’d like to see him start making late box-crashing runs to add more cutback goals to us, someone like Scott McTominay is someone to look to for inspiration, his timing his really quite good in that regard.
I feel a bit like a broken record, but the natural next step for Marc is to compete at the next level, he’s moved up a year every season since his first loan, and I see no reason why he can’t carry on that journey with us in the Championship. Although he actually has some really nice moments when he carries the ball forward, he struggles to do it on a really consistent basis, so that’s an area to look at in order to broaden his ball-progression skillset.
Option four: Antony Evans — Perm
Antony Evans is a player we were linked with a few weeks ago, and for good reason, we’re down to just one scouser in the squad and need to reach our quota of two. Oh, and he’s a pretty decent goalscoring midfielder who can play as both an 8 and a 10. Antony is someone who’s had a really fruitful three years since making his move to Bristol Rovers, earning plaudits for not just his tremendous output from midfield, but also in his performances.
One of the most obvious, and delightful, facets of his game is how dangerous he is with the ball in both creation and finishing moves himself. One reason for this is his ridiculously strong ball-striking technique, as well as his understanding of how and when to time his arrival into goalscoring positions. On top of this, he always looks to play the furthest and most damaging pass forward when he has the ball at his feet. That kind of killer instinct will be so valuable for us next season, when the margins are as tight as they are, and opportunities will be much more scarce than in League One.
My concern for Antony is off-the-ball, his timing in defensive duels when the ball goes past him can be quite sloppy, causing him to give away fouls around the halfway line, an OOP positive though is that he’ll slot quite nicely as one of the 10s when we defend in a 4–1–4–1 block, so that’s nice. Positionally, he’s far more used to being high up the pitch, so won’t be entirely used to the pictures he encounters in deep build-up. If we end up signing him it wouldn’t shock me if we at some point either move back to Mousinho’s original 4–3–3 or the 3–4–2–1 he’s dabbled with on occasion.
Right wingers – Profile
Profile: Able to isolate fullbacks 1 v 1, proficient proximity-play when sustained possession is in the final third, able to go on the outside or cut-in, comfortable (bonus), agile and quick off the mark
Operation Replace Abu Kamara is a go! I feel like the profile of right winger we need to sign is slightly easier to understand, and also to target, with quite a few nice options in there. Portsmouth need firepower and intensity in forward areas, as well as the ability to interact with the players around him instinctively and quickly, let’s identify who can bring it!
Potential targets — 1 needed
Option one: Abu Kamara — Loan
Similar to Alex Robertson, a man who needs no introduction, and honestly not much needs to be said about him. Personally, I think the chances of us getting him back are very slim, and the only scenario I see it happening in is as follows:
- Abu Kamara gets sold to a Premier League side and then we convince them to loan him to us
A devastating 1 v 1 dribbler who’s come on leaps and bounds defensively. Incredible levels of ball-retention and output in the final third, he really is the complete package, and I don’t think I need to remind people of that. The next steps for Abu are to keep challenging himself at higher levels, because believe me, he has all the capabilities of playing at the very highest level one day.
Option two: Jesurun Rak-Sakyi — Loan
Let me cast your mind back to New Years Day 2022, Danny Cowley’s last match in charge of Portsmouth. Jesurun Rak-Sakyi utterly dominated every duel he was a part of that day, putting defenders into yoga positions and scoring the opening goal of the game. Well guess what, he’s only gotten better since, and is more than ready for the Championship loan Crystal Palace want for him.
He is so, so slick with the ball at his feet, dominating 1 v 1 moments and has an incredibly fast thought process when moving with the ball at speed, knowing exactly what actions to execute and how to execute them. He’s able to both fashion opportunities for himself out of nothing, but also facilitate opportunity and space creation for his teammates, an important quality for a Portsmouth right winger. He’s also able to shift the ball out of his feet incredibly quickly, and has an ability to turn on a dime with such ease.
Growth areas for Jesurun will be getting back into the swing of playing Saturday Tuesday on a regular basis, on top of that I’d like to see him add some snap and bite in the final third, he’s got that silky guile but not quite that brutal tenacity at times, one of those marginal gains that can be the difference between him scoring 8 and 10 goals, and us finishing on enough points to be very comfortable.
Option three: Sami Ouaissa — Loan
Sami is one of a few young players from the Benelux region I’ve targeted for potential moves, Championship clubs have had a pretty strong track record when it comes to recruiting from that area, aided by the fact there’s a pretty high level of English proficiency from that region of the world, and I see no reason why we can’t carry that trend into our own recruitment strategy.
One really desirable quality for our right winger is good levels of proximity and link-play, essentially the ability to interact with players around him from the right half-space. You can use him to run attacks through, especially if Colby Bishop isn’t on the pitch, similarly to one of the players I put forward in the left wingers segment. Sami can also play across the 3 behind the CF, but probably plays his best football in central areas and the right-half space, so you probably can’t get away with playing him Sami and Callum Lang in the same team.
Although we don’t need to rely on really heavy levels of output from our right winger, we’re gonna need all the goals we can get next season. In order to get more goals out of Sami he needs to be able to both shift the ball out of his feet quicker than he currently does, and get more lift and ‘snap’ on his shots. His goal against Cambuur needs to be a blueprint he works toward, although it isn’t completely perfect as he takes a few too many steps before his finish, but the shot itself is a beauty, low and hard into the corner. Also nicely, he has a weird knack of scoring headers in the six yard box, for someone who isn’t exactly super tall, that’s nice.
Option four: Jack Nolan — Perm
It’s pretty normal for those who used to be connected to the club or to the city to be linked with moves back to Portsmouth, or for fan clamour to demand the club sign them. But strangely, you never see anyone speak about arguably the most intelligent pickup, and ask the club to sign Accrington Stanley’s Jack Nolan.
A high-output winger who dominated opponents in League 2 this year, and fits the profile of right winger I’m looking for pretty nicely in all honesty. For better or for worse, he’s a very high-volume player, constantly trying to make things happen, he’s got a real enthusiasm with the ball at his feet, and that can certainly be moulded to make him more effective at a higher level. If his finishing can be improved, you’re looking at a player who’s open-play goal tally can absolutely sky-rocket, as at the moment he snatches at quite a few of his shot which (although it gives the GK less time to react) it means he can’t get his technique perfect, resulting in dragging or under hitting shots.
I do worry about him a little bit in moments of 1 v 1 isolation, he gets involved in those events on a very regular basis, but often his touches can be heavy, and he tends to lack deception via those short sharp bursts, which allows opponents to read him fairly easily. When he’s in full-stride or his duelling partner doesn’t have a chance to slow the game down he tends to be fine, but when he’s tasked with commanding momentum and tempo, he can struggle.
Left wingers – Profile
Profile: Hugs the touchline, able to service the a deeper 8 or combine with an overlapping run, two paced winger who understands when to slow play down and when to speed it up, able to manage duel marking responsibilities when pressing (bonus)
The profile of both right and left wingers to target is a tough one, as it wholeheartedly depends on the profile of our fullbacks next season, so there’s space to be a little bit more fast and loose with the qualities, so long as the attributes of the targets compliment what we already have, and don’t have, in the building. However, the profile I listed above is what I’d personally like to see in our left wingers this summer.
Potential targets — 2 needed
Option one: Josh Murphy — Perm
Josh is very much dependant on Oxford failing to get promoted at Wembley. He’s out of contract, which likely means that he’ll be off to the Championship regardless of Oxford’s league status, although I’m pretty certain I know what Oxford fans will prefer! Murphy is in really good form at the moment since December, and is a player that can offer real threat and quality if he can remain sharp and consistent.
Josh wins a hell of a lot of fouls, not afraid to put his body between an opponent and the ball, fully committing to 1 v 1 moments across the pitch. With Abu Kamara departing, Portsmouth not only need to replace his dynamism and 1 v 1 domination, but increase the levels of it in forward areas, which makes Josh Murphy a strong candidate. As well as this, he carries a lot of goal threat, and is able to fashion opportunities for his teammates in and around the box.
The next steps for Josh are to carry on his good form into next season, although this is far easier said than done, as the end of season halts a lot of momentum, but he can be a really capable Championship operator if he can start fast next season. In terms of technical development, he needs to work on his technical detail when servicing the penalty box, inside the box he can be a demon, but his crossing and passing into the box could do with some improvement.
Option two: Phoenix Patterson — Perm
This is it folks, this may well be the last time I ever suggest Portsmouth sign Phoenix Patterson. The only way this works is if we sign another left winger who is clearly capable of starting week in week out, giving Phoenix the opportunity to develop his skillset without the burden of needing to immediately dominate in the Championship.
A silky and creative 1 v 1 winger who always wants to commit as many defenders to his as possible, and has bundles of potential if he can just be in the right environment and all the parts of his game thread together. He’s been a ‘maybe’ player lately, but I truly believe he can become a really exciting player who’s performing highly every week in the Championship. Comfortable with overlapping, underlapping, going to the byline and driving inside, he’s such a handful when he’s on the ball and has a great ability to create 2 v 1 moments in wide areas.
Similarly to a couple of players in this recruitment document, Phoenix needs to turn that truckload of potential into tangible ability and output at higher levels of football. When it comes to technical development, he could do with more power in his technique in the final third, especially from shots. The majority of the time his placement/shot-selection is fine, but he struggles to combine that with power, and vice versa, he gets himself into good positions and angles but can falter in turning those opportunities into goals.
Option three: Martial Godo — Loan
Martial really impressed out on loan at Wigan this season, and if I’m Fulham, I’m wanting to see him on loan in the Championship, or an equivalent league. And although he’s played a lot of his football on the right wing, I think he can also have an impact for us on the left, whilst also being able to play on both sides as well as in central areas.
He finds himself isolated 1 v 1 and agains 1 v 2 quite a bit in the final third, and is pretty proficient at going round the outside when on the left-side of the pitch, but he can at times struggle to turn those moments into dangerous opportunities on goal. For his development, I actually think he could benefit a lot from playing on the left for us, either combining with underlapping runners or helping sustain possession in the final third through holding the ball up in wide positions.
Ultimately, Martial is a player best utilised by giving him freedom and responsibility to be creative and solve problems by linking play up and investigating space with the ball at his feet. He’s a player who shouldn’t really be hemmed into a nailed on position, he should be given that burden of having attacks be ran through him, rather than being on the end of moves. That said, I think his decision-making needs to be worked on, as at times he can hold onto the ball too much, he gets away with it in League One, but in the Championship he likely gets punished for it more. As a result of his ability to sustain possession in the final third, it also helps us defensively, giving us ample time to properly structure our rest-defence and be proactive against counterattacks.
Option four: Ro-Zangelo Daal — Loan
Now this, this is a fun pick. An endlessly creative and erratic touchline-hugging young winger, and one that probably won’t happen, but as a wildcard loanee pick, it could be worth a look, especially being he’ll help with U21 registration rules. He’s a player with a lot of potential that needs refinement in order to reach that ceiling.
He’s got a really good release off his right foot when shooting, and often is able to keep the ball close to him on the edge of the box before reversing a low shot across his body into the corner. He’s also incredibly nimble and agile, riding contact well and often coming out of duels with the ball glued to his foot. He’s got that scintillating erraticism that gets people out of their seats, utterly transfixed on him. He also gets the ball out of his feet really quickly when he wants to shoot, a quality that’s really transferable to the intensity of Championship football
My biggest concern for Ro-Zangelo is that he can be incredibly singular and individual in the way he plays, I wouldn’t call him greedy, he just has such a laser-focus and tunnel vision when he has the ball at his feet, so that’s certainly an area that needs developing. Also, for the profile of winger I’d want, he doesn’t quite have that proficiency at being able to dictate the tempo of games.
Centreforward hybrid – Profile
Profile: Proficient as a second-striker, strong link-play, prefers playing in the LHS (ideally), comfortable in tight areas with decent ball manipulation, goal threat
So for clarity, in this section I’ve mainly gone young, fun and full of potential players that are likely unrealistic or are ones to keep an eye on for a few of targeting in a few years time, outside of one that is actually pretty plausible. Let’s all live a little and explore some fun attackers shall we! (This is also the area we’re probably least likely to target, so let’s vibe).
Potential targets — 1 needed
Option one: John McAtee — Perm
John is a player who’s been pretty consistently impressing since his breakout season for Grimsby in the National League a few seasons ago, gathering a lot of plaudits and coverage for both his performances and strong levels of output. Out of the three options I’m putting forward in this segment, McAtee is far and away the most realistic and likely, and to be honest I’m surprised we haven’t been officially linked with him yet!
He’s got a real knack for getting shots off at unsuspecting moments, as well as an ability to release shots quickly in order to not give goalkeepers and defenders an opportunity to set themselves. He’s also scored a considerable amount of goals following high-turnovers and counter-attacks, which aligns pretty strongly with our likely playing philosophy next season.
The challenge for John is to test himself at a level he’s never got a chance to play at before, and taking on a pretty strong burden. A development area for John would be to start winning more 50/50 duels, especially aerial ones. He often picks up good areas, but when it comes to aerial duels, he can at times be too static, which allows really physical CBs to get a run on him and dominate aerially. There are also moments where he doesn’t give himself a few yards to properly judge the flight of the ball, so gets his timing and movement to attack the ball wrong.
Option two: Kristall Mani Ingason — Perm
Kristall is so so entertaining to watch, often playing on pure instinct and improvisation in tight-areas, manipulating the ball with ease in those high-pressure zones. He also represents a player with a hell of a lot of potential, even when you take into account his departure from Rosenborg (if anything that makes him even more attainable!). Kristall is certainly someone that can be targeted next season if we have a really convincing 24/25 season, and can convince him of the project.
It feels like every year, Portsmouth fans beg for a creative 10 who also carries goal-threat and link-play, well Ingason offers that in abundance. Not only does he have pretty solid shot-selection, but his movement inside the box is incredibly intelligent, always peeling away from his man, or making a blindside run to pop-up in uncomfortable areas for the opposition. His technique can do with a bit of work, but his intentions are strong, which is half the battle. And as a cheeky little bonus, he’s comfortable playing in the left half-space!
He doesn’t quite have the aerial and hold-up side of his game nailed yet, which would’ve been ideal as it means you can have vertical rotations with Bishop, and could do with developing his out-of-possession game, but the latter is certainly coachable, as we’ve seen a fair few of Portsmouth’s forwards under John Mousinho develop that skillset.
Option three: Arthur Sales — Perm
Fun fact, as far as I’m aware, Portsmouth have only ever had one Brazilian footballer on their books, ever. So why not double that? This is potentially the most ambitious, and as a result, unlikely, picks in this entire article, but Arthur is a player I really like, and one to keep an eye on in the medium-to-long term. Although it’s important to note that if Lommel win their promotion playoff, this goes from almost impossible to completely impossible, so if they could lose that’d be fantastic.
Arthur is a CF that’s comfortable with both running off the last-line, and dropping down into pockets where he can use his tight first touch and intelligent ball-manipulation to help link-play and create space for wingers and attacking midfielders to exploit. And another little bonus is that he’s more than comfortable operating in the right, and more importantly, the left half-space, which aligns with the profiles and dynamics I hope the rest of our line-up will offer next season.
When it comes to growth areas for Arthur Sales, his shot-selection could do with refinement, he often struggles to find the corners on a consistent basis, he gets himself into dangerous areas and fashions good opportunities but his output could increase even more if he can add those marginal gains. On top of that, his overall decision-making could do with a little bit of improvement, when he has multiple options at his disposal he can be prone to making the wrong choice.
Conclusion
Incomings: Max Stryjek (free), Josh Knight (free), Peter Kioso (Six-figure fee), Alex Robertson (loan), Kamiel Van De Perre (free — potential compensation needed), Jesurun Rak-Sakyi (loan), Josh Muprhy (free), Martial Godo (loan), John McAtee (potentially high fee or loan) — Kanayochukwu Megwa or Jamie Shackleton should also be brought in, in the event of Zak Swanson departing, and if Joe Morrell departs, Marc Leonard or Matty James would intelligent replacement options. Oh, and sign Lewis Freestone if you want a left back.
With the players I’ve put forward in this, admittedly quite long, article, I feel like we’ll have the quality, depth, robustness, and vibes to have a season to be proud of in the championship. One thing that makes me increasingly certain we can have a successful 24/25 campaign is the number of goals following counterattacks and high turnovers we started scoring since January. In the Championship we likely won’t be able to gain the same amount of control as we had in League One matches, so will be more reliant on pace, power, and clinical finishing when moments present themselves.
Before I (finally) let you go, I just wanted to say a massive thank you if you’ve made it this far. This has been my longest article by a fucking country mile, but I felt I couldn’t do the topic justice without it. This page has genuinely changed my life, I’ve had so many job opportunities and moments in life I never thought were possible as a result of it so from the bottom of my heart a massive thank you for all your support. It’s going to be a pretty busy summer, which means a hell of a lot of recruitment articles from me — So I’ll see you in a month’s time or so for that!
Until then, up the Blues, and Play up Pompey!
