Potential issue emerges in Sunderland AFC star's move to Portsmouth | OneFootball

Adil Aouchiche's move to Pompey could be in doubt, but other reports have claimed that he is still set to sign on loan

According to a new report, Portsmouth's loan deal for Sunderland midfielder Adil Aouchiche has hit a snag due to the 22-year-old's ESC eligibility, but other claims suggest that he is still set for a move to Fratton Park.

Pompey have been relatively busy in the transfer market since the turn of the year, but with just the one forward signing having joined John Mousinho's squad as yet, another attacker has looked set to arrive at Fratton Park in the form of Black Cats playmaker Aouchiche.

The Frenchman has struggled for game-time amid Sunderland's promotion push this term, and The News claimed yesterday that Portsmouth were closing in on a loan deal to bring him to the south coast for the duration of the campaign.

That move could now be in jeopardy if new claims are to be believed, but reports elsewhere have suggested that the deal is still on, and he is set to become a Pompey player before the deadline on Monday night.

Adil Aouchiche's move to Pompey is facing a setback

Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna has today reported, via X, that the deal for Aouchiche to move to Portsmouth from Sunderland is, for now, completely blocked.

He states that the 22-year-old's medical has been completed and passed, but the issue is that he doesn't have enough Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) points, with 15 needed, and so would take up an Elite Significant Contribution (ESC) spot.

Portsmouth, however, according to Aouna, have fulfilled all four ESC spots in their squad at this moment in time, and so don’t have any available to sanction a move for Aouchiche.

Conflicting report emerges around Aouchiche's loan switch

Despite those claims from France, The News has instead earlier reported that a loan move for the Frenchman is progressing to a positive conclusion, after they previously broke the story of Portsmouth's initial interest.

They also state that the Blues are confident of bringing in the 22-year-old on loan for the rest of the season, and a deal is now believed to be broadly in place between the two clubs, but an official transfer announcement is not believed to be imminent today.

Pompey supporters will hope that this is the case, and he is still set to join the club before the window slams shut, as a shrewd loan signing like Aouchiche could well be the catalyst to their Championship survival this season.

The versatile attacking midfielder started out at PSG, and had stints with St Etienne and Lorient in Ligue 1 prior to his move to the Stadium of Light in 2023.

He seemed like a real coup for the Black Cats at the time, but failed to properly adapt to English football in his debut season and will have been hoping to kick on in 2024/25, yet his chances have once again been limited.

When compared to other Championship midfielders last season,using FBref, the 22-year-old was in the 95th percentile for shot-creating actions per game (5.23), 96th percentile for progressive passes recieved per game (8.49) and 97th percentile for key passes per game (2.70), so it is quite clear that he can have a huge impact on a game at the level when trusted to by a head-coach.

Portsmouth supporters will certainly be hoping that Mousinho is the next boss that gets the chance to help him become a top player in the second-tier, but after contrasting reports have emerged, the short-term future of this deal looks unclear.