Portsmouth boss delivers insight into position of ‘strength’ despite 16 deals ending next summer

Pompey are confident their squad planning will leave them well placed to handle another glut of contracts coming to a close next summer.

Boss John Mousinho feels there is ‘plenty of strength’ when it comes to the Blues’ standpoint, as their player options continue to evolve.

There will be 16 players whose deals come to a close at the end of next June. On the surface that seems a large number, but is a figure bolstered by the three current loanees - Tino Anjorin, Abu Kamara and Alex Robertson who will return to their parent clubs.

Furthermore, youngsters Haji Mnoga, Harry Jewitt-White, Josh Oluwayemi, Liam Vincent and Josh Dockerill all go into that count and are either injured or out on loan.

Pompey will have control on the futures of Joe Morrell, Zak Swanson and Denver Hume, with an option in the club’s favour to extend their stay for 12 months.

That leaves Joe Rafferty, Marlon Pack, Sean Raggett, Connor Ogilvie and Ryan Schofield as the remaining quintet who have been in the first-team squad and see their deals at a close. No options were reported when the players’ arrivals were announced.

Pompey will also have 14 players tied down next season - with all of them firmly in the senior set-up who have so impressed this term.

Will Norris, Ryley Towler, Regan Poole, Colby Bishop, Anthony Scully, Gavin Whyte, Ben Stevenson, Christian Saydee, Conor Shaughnessy, Kusini Yengi, Jack Sparkes, Terry Devlin, Tom Lowery and Paddy Lane make up that list.

Mousinho explained the club are not focussing on any discussions with the players whose futures aren’t tied down, with the January window on the horizon and a spot in the Championship to secure.

He said: ‘The number of 16 seems a little high, but we have the three loans going back and some contracts coming to an end with us having the option on them.

Then with the nature of a lot of the younger lads being on one-year deals and a couple being on two-year deals. There’s plenty of strength in terms of the club’s position.

‘It’s genuinely something we’re not thinking about at the moment for a couple of reasons. There’s the here and now and what we have to do in January. Then we don’t know what the landscape’s going to look like in the summer.

‘Usually when things settle down after the January window and then into February we will take a proper look at the squad and see where we are. Then possibly the ones we are looking at extending we’ll look at it at that point.

‘There’s no real rush, because we can do that as late as May. So it’s not a real issue.’

Mousinho explained he was pleased Pompey had the element of control created by club options in the cases of Hume, Morrell and Swanson.

Hume remains out of favour, but Morrell has been in consistently impressive form, while Swanson has shown he is a right-back with a bright future as he vies with Rafferty for playing time.

Mousinho added: ‘If we have an option in the players' contract we’ve got control of it. In those players, as is normal and standard, the club will have the option.

‘It puts us in a good position, because with good players like that there will be interest. We have to be aware of contractual situations and box off everything we want to box off.’