‘Going To Be A Lot Of Clubs’ – Portsmouth Warned On John Mousinho By Ex-Striker | OneFootball

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Former Championship hitman Sam Parkin is of the opinion that Portsmouth boss John Mousinho will have suitors in the summer following the end of the season he has had to keep Pompey away from relegation.

The three teams dropping to League One have now been confirmed, with Sheffield Wednesday, Leicester City and Oxford United all falling through the trapdoor this season, the former two undone by points deductions.

Mousinho’s side were firmly in the relegation picture for much of the season, entering the new year in 21st, but a strong run of results in April, with just one defeat in six matches, lifted them clear of danger, a turnaround one former EFL star had predicted.

Four of those six outings ended in victory, the most recent coming away at Stoke City, where an Adrian Segecic hat-trick sealed a 3-1 win over the Potters.

Parkin reflected on their strong performances, pointing to a decisive April spell in which Portsmouth pieced together three wins in quick succession, a run he believes will come to define Mousinho’s campaign.

The 45-year-old pointed to the performance against Ipswich Town, noting it looked nothing like a side bound for the third tier and instead saw them go toe to toe with a promotion-chasing outfit.

He added that the English tactician’s work had been carried out to a high standard and suggested the 39-year-old could draw interest from other clubs this summer on the back of his achievements.

Parkin said on the Championship Score Prediction show (12:09): “Yes, yes, outstanding end to the season, obviously it’s going to be remembered for that seven days, ten days, whatever it was, where they put the three victories together and in the main, partly because I was there, that Ipswich performance was not akin to a team that’s about to drop into the third tier, they were superb on that night against one of the best sides.

“A job very well done and, obviously, the assistant manager is a dear friend of mine.

“I don’t know the thought process of the number one, but I think there’s going to be a lot of clubs looking at him for obvious reasons this summer.”

Taking over at Fratton Park in January 2023, it marked Mousinho’s first role in management with the club in League One, and in his second season he guided them to the League One title.

With safety secured as they sit in 18th place and just one game remaining with little riding on it, Pompey are set for a third consecutive season in the second tier, though it remains to be seen whether he will be the man to lead the Hampshire side into the next campaign, particularly if interest from elsewhere materialises.