Chapter 1: What are the latest updates on Pompey's transfer strategy?
The latest Pompey news updates every day from the Pompey Sound News Desk. Here's John Messinio on where Pompey are in their quest for new arrivals, heading towards the January transfer window. We are at the shortlist stage. We've cut down the longlist to four or five players in every position.
We're still looking at players in every position because we don't know how quickly things are going to change from week to week or day to day. We've got an idea of what we want, we just have to be fluid with it. It's difficult for everyone because the players that are going to be available, clubs wait until after the third round of the FA Cup to see what picture changes at their club.
Until they've got a couple of incomings they don't let players go which is probably sensible.
Chapter 2: How is Pompey preparing for the January transfer window?
The most important thing is everybody wants signings through the door really early, but we've done a lot of our business late in January over the three windows I've been here, so it's about patience. So we needn't expect any news until after the third round of the FA Cup is done and dusted. Remember, no replays this year, so if it isn't sorted out... After extra time, then it's penalties.
So it will be done and dusted by around about the 13th of January. We play Arsenal, of course, on the 11th of January, which is the Sunday. And I think that there's a couple of games scheduled for the Monday for television slots. So 13th of January. But that's when real negotiations will begin. It's unlikely that any negotiations will have reached near completion point after the
Third round of the FA Cup with the big clubs and presumably we're going to be tapping up the big clubs for players or at least clubs of championship standard for transfers, premier standard if we're going for more loans and the indication has been that we are going to get at least one, possibly two. I remember reading possibly three loan players.
So it's going to be a busy transfer window, but not until after the 12th, 13th of January when negotiations will firm up. And then, of course, there is the business of actually making the signing and achieving the last of the details that have to be in these fat contracts that players have now, each of which have standards.
No doubt pages of them, but also have plenty of personal and specific clauses and information relating to the loan. Already during the non-transfer window, Sheffield Wednesday have been particularly busy borrowing Joe Lumley from Bristol City. four or five weeks ago. And on the 27th of November, they brought in Nathan Redmond, who was unattached. So that's just a free.
And they also brought in Liam Cooper on the 17th of November. But of course, those are desperate measures at Sheffield Wednesday. They have hemorrhaged players as a result of their financial difficulties and the fact that players are
are freed of their contractual obligations if they're not being paid and so there was a mass exodus so that's the reason for that they're still not a threat to us so we are still looking as far as relegation goes at beating just two teams is all we need to beat in the league in order to stay up and stay safe
The frustration around Florian Bianchini's tough spell at Fratton Park just keeps growing. The Swansea loanee is yet to score or provide an assist in his 11 appearances this season, and now finds himself completely out of the matchday squad. Manager John Messinio put his recent absence down to tendonitis in the knee, explaining that the club is handling the issue, week to week.
While he was ineligible to face his parent club Swansea anyway, Bianchini was also left out of the 20-man squad for the abandoned match at Charlton and last weekend's game against Blackburn. His path back into the team looks even tougher with Harvey Blair returning to fitness, and the Blues actively looking for more attacking options in the January window.
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Chapter 3: What challenges does Pompey face in the current transfer market?
Flo has come in and been part of three of the five wins he has started them he's had a big contribution to what we have done this year. He works incredibly hard off the ball and the big thing for him is just to see if he can produce those numbers at the top end of the pitch in terms of assists and goals. We have seen plenty of that spark in training and sometimes in games.
I guess that's maybe the frustration that we don't see a bit more of it consistently. The accurate way to put it is, can we get a bit more out of flow? We are not precious about potentially going over the number of loans we get in. We did six loans last January, so if we need to do more than five loans, we'll do more than five. There were high hopes when Bianchini arrived.
He's a two million pound or is it two million euro, whatever, rated left winger. He was given the cherished number 11 shirt. That's not particularly significant, but all these clues add up as to what kind of hopes arise. were being nurtured for him.
But just as it seems with Swansea, where he didn't quite fulfil his clear ability and promise, it's probably fair to say that John Massino has, OK, he's masked it, but I think there are frustrations with not just so much the injuries, which he picks up, this is tendinitis, Again, it's difficult to know to what extent that is a debilitating condition, but he's not playing.
But he has also not produced enough with the ball.
He is industrious, yes, and that is important, but he's a left winger, or at least he's a wide forward, and we want to see him doing things with the ball that come off, not just head towards the defenders who are closing him down, realise he's going to have to beat one and possibly two in order to get a clear cross in or a shot off, and so turn and see who's backing him up and lay it back to them.
Not always particularly successfully, I would add. So, we still harbour hopes for Flo, as Moose refers to him, but time's running out. At the football news agency The 72, we've been busy assessing Saturday's clash Derby v Pompey. We say this. Derby County come into this weekend's clash with Portsmouth looking to move back towards the playoff spots after a blip in form.
Derby sit 12th, four points off the top six in a tightly packed championship table. After a run of one win in five games, the Rams got back to winning ways on Monday night. They cruised to a 3-0 triumph over crisis-hit Sheffield Wednesday, with Patrick Aguiamang scoring either side of Liam Thompson's first Championship goal.
It will be hoped that win at Hillsborough can spark a new run of form for Derby County to lift them back towards the top six. As for Portsmouth, they head to Pride Park off the back of a crucial win over Blackburn Rovers. Pompey had lost seven of the last ten Championship games going into that one. John Messina will be hoping that victory can be a turning point for his side.
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