Football Season Guide

Portsmouth will be looking to build on a positive first season back in the Championship under head coach John Mousinho. Pompey took a gamble in appointing the rookie Mousinho in January 2023 and were rewarded with the League One title in 2024. It looked like an immediate return was on the cards during the first half of last season as they fell to the bottom of the table but he turned things around and they finished in 16th place, five points above the drop zone. He built the team around a strong spine in goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid, who provided a shrewd addition from Austrian Bundesliga side Blau-Weiss Linz last summer; centre-back Regan Poole, midfielder and Captain Marlon Pack, winger Josh Murphy and strikers Callum Lang and Colby Bishop. It was Bishop’s return from heart surgery in November that provided the catalyst for their turnaround in form and illustrates his importance to the side. Mousinho will place his faith in these half-a-dozen players again as they look to consolidate their place in the Championship. The only notable departure was expected with midfielder Freddie Potts returning to parent club West Ham United after an impressive season-long loan. There has been interest in Lang, with a bid of £2m from Preston North End rejected this summer. There is stability both on and off the pitch with owner Michael Eisner adjusting the culture of English football and allowing Mousinho to manage. Keeping the squad together affords the opportunity to manoeuvre more strategically in the transfer market. Midfielders Luke Le Roux and Mark Kosznovszky and winger Adrian Segecic are unknown quantities however having previously plied their trades in Sweden, Hungary and Australia respectively. A cool million has been splashed on Kosznovszky. Midfielder John Swift arrives with plenty of Championship experience from West Bromwich Albion however and a couple more additions would certainly show there’s no intention of standing still on the South Coast.