Former Portsmouth winger Lee Sharpe has said that there is ‘every chance’ John Mousinho will be tempted away from the club in the summer.
Portsmouth moved to bring Mousinho to the club in January 2023, appointing him as the permanent replacement for Danny Cowley. It was a move that caught many off-guard, but it has proven to be a big success over the past 13 months or so.
Pompey sit at the top of the League One table as it stands. They’re looking to make a long-awaited return to Championship football and while the likes of Peterborough United, Bolton Wanderers and Derby County are keeping pace, Mousinho’s side are on course to end their stay in League One.
Unsurprisingly, the manager has drawn high praise for his work in his first managerial position. Young bosses are a hot commodity, and ex-Portsmouth man Lee Sharpe anticipates summer interest in Mousinho.
He has said there is ‘every chance’ he will be snapped up by a team in a higher position in the summer. Sharpe said via Instant Casino:
“For lower league teams, sometimes when you have a brilliant season like Portsmouth are having, you can expect to see your manager to go. However, some of the bigger clubs tend to want to see how the manager performs towards the end of the season to see if it was just a flash in the pan and pure fluke, or whether they are actually that good.
“We will see if Portsmouth can hold onto John Mousinho next season, but there’s every chance that if he continues how he is currently and finishes strong, he will get snapped up by someone else higher up in the division. He’s been a brilliant appointment for the club, but that’s how football works sometimes.”
Mousinho’s work at Portsmouth has certainly caught the eye and for clubs eyeing up a managerial change further down the line, he may well be an ideal candidate. He’s only at the start of his career in the dugout and his success at Fratton Park makes for good reading for his future.
Promotion could prove pivotal for both the manager and the club though. If Pompey are promoted, it could go a long way to retaining Mousinho’s services but as Sharpe highlighted, it will show to potential suitors that he can sustain high qualities over a full season and in high pressure situations, perhaps leading to stronger and more high-profile interest in his services.
Pompey have been stranded in League One too long for a club of their stature. And, after leading for so long, seeing it slip away now would be a huge blow. It would be a fantastic feather in the cap for Mousinho so early into his career but could also prompt strong summer interest in his services.
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