Fresh Portsmouth FC, Josh Murphy concern raised amid contract developments - he's 'pivotal' | OneFootball

Josh Murphy has been a shining light for Pompey since moving to Fratton Park in 2024

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

It has been a disappointing recent spell for Portsmouth and John Mousinho, with the South Coast side heading into the November international break sat 20th in the Championship.

A 3-2 defeat to Hull City at the MKM Stadium on Saturday afternoon made it six games without a win for the Blues, whose latest success came against second-place Middlesbrough on October 4th.

Supporters at Fratton Park are starting to showcase understandable concerns about what the rest of the season holds for their side, who are distinctly lacking in creativity despite Terry Devlin's brace in East Yorkshire over the weekend, as well as the fact they have kept just two clean sheets since mid-September's goalless draw in the South Coast derby against Southampton, with Joe Bursik now between the sticks whilst Nicolas Schmid continues to work his way back to full fitness.

As such, it has been debated as to how the club's fortunes between now and January will impact the long-term future of star performer, Josh Murphy, who recently signed a new long-term deal until 2028 after summer interest.

Whilst attacking reliability as a collective is a major concern for Mousinho, the same cannot be said for Murphy on an individual level.

As a result, Football League World's Portsmouth fan pundit, Miltos Ioannidis, is unsure whether the 30-year-old stays or departs due to a contrast in factors.

After helping Oxford United join Portsmouth in last season's Championship, Murphy showcased exactly why his signature was courted by the club on a free transfer, posting a joint-high total of 14 assists last term alongside Tom Fellows.

This season, amid a short-term injury blow, the ex-Norwich City man has posted two assists in eight league appearances after being the subject of late interest from West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City in the summer transfer window.

Pompey supporters will hope that he remains at the club for many years after the penning of the aforementioned fresh contract. However, Ioannidis has some doubts whilst outlining how key he has been, and will continue to be.

"Josh Murphy is, quite literally, our whole team at the moment," he told FLW. "Without him, we'd be doomed.

"We, perhaps, would even consider ourselves down already. He's our only source of hope, ounce of creativity and our only spark. Without him, there is nothing going on in our team.

"This is the worry, that he could easily play for a better team. He could even do a job for a Premier League club easily," he claimed.

"In my opinion, it's not a good thing when you've got a player who, deep inside, feels that way. Josh Murphy may, right now, feel like he can do better and seek for a better opportunity.

"The only hope I have right now is his age," Ioannidis explained. "The fact he's not 23, 24, 25. He recently turned 30, but that doesn't mean teams will be discouraged from paying a fee, because everybody sees what he does.

"I'm not saying this because I'm a Pompey fan, but there is no winger like him in the Championship," our fan pundit added. "He could easily play for a club aspiring to get promoted, or for an established Premier League club. He's that good.

"He's creating chances left, right and centre, but we haven't got anyone to get on the end of them. He's unreal, but the rest of the team aren't just not up to his standard, but they are mediocre.

"We haven't got anyone to attack his crosses, get on the end of his passes, and this isn't good for the club or him because, naturally, ideas will start to come into his head as he's too good for our current situation," our fan pundit continued.

"I'm going to be worried. There was the last-minute saga in the summer, that apparently Leicester were interested and nothing concrete happened. But, this doesn't exclude the possibility of them, or any other aspiring team, coming in for him and making an offer in January to strengthen their squad.

"If that happens, we are well and truly in trouble if we aren't already," Miltos reiterated. "He's the main reason, at the moment, that gives me hope we can turn things around.

"The worst thing that would happen is him leaving. Let's hope it doesn't happen because I want us to be a Championship club next season.

"Without Josh Murphy, it's very difficult to see a world where that happens."

Josh Murphy, Portsmouth FC concerns are valid amid relegation fears

As previously mentioned, Murphy's tally of 14 assists for a side which only survived the drop by five points last season proved invaluable, making it understandable why teams such as Leicester and West Brom, who harbour top-flight ambitions, interested in a cut-price deal.

The signing of a new deal has certainly protected Murphy's value, meaning Pompey can still make a significant profit on his services. However, it only adds to the concerns which Ioannidis and many others are feeling.

Mousinho's side currently rank in the bottom five for shots on target and goals per game, despite making a handful of attacking reinforcements, and a potential loss of their star performer would, in reality, only lessen the chances of such metrics improving unless a drastic turnaround in form occurred.