Portsmouth FC demand sent to Michael Eisner as Sheffield Wednesday eye Rich Hughes raid | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday have plotted a move for Portsmouth sporting director Richard Hughes, as exclusively revealed by Football League World

Portsmouth are set for a big and potentially unnerving summer, with head coach John Mousinho recently calling for more investment from owner Michael Eisner.

The Fratton Park outfit successfully retained their Championship status for another season, but Mousinho wants to manage a club that is capable of achieving more than just survival.

Pompey drew 1-1 with Birmingham City on the final day of the campaign, and ended the term on good form aside from a 5-1 defeat against champions Coventry City on 21 April.

Mousinho will now hope to enjoy a successful summer transfer window with Portsmouth, to help steer the South Coast outfit away from the lower echelons of the Championship table, but he is being linked with a potential move away - and so is his sporting director.

Portsmouth verdict given as Sheffield Wednesday plot Richard Hughes swoop

Amid Mousinho's demand for more investment, Bristol City have eyed a move for the Portsmouth boss, who has proven his credentials in the Championship once again.

The Robins are on the hunt for a permanent manager now that Roy Hodgson's interim spell at Ashton Gate has ended.

And as exclusively revealed by Football League World last week, Sheffield Wednesday's new ownership have placed Portsmouth's Richard Hughes in the frame to become their sporting director.

FLW asked our Pompey fan pundit, Miltos Ioannidis, if he would be surprised to see Hughes join the Owls, who will be competing in League One next term, or if he could see the move happening, especially if the Eisners don't increase the Fratton Park side's budget.

Iaonnidis said: "In regards to Richard Hughes, I think he's obviously someone that comes with both his fans and his critics. I think that his arrival to the club coincided with our recent success and upward trajectory, winning League One.

"He was essentially the man who gave John Mousinho the opportunity to work, gave him the role. And that's been very successful, to say the least.

"He, just like any other sporting director, has had his hits, but he's also had his misses. I think my biggest curiosity lies more towards what he would be able to do if he had a slightly bigger budget, and he didn't have to work with a shoestring of a budget at times, or at least that's what it feels like.

"For that exact reason, I am certainly on the page that I think he's very good at what he does, very intelligent guy in terms of the job that he does.

"He's certainly done a good job so far. I think the positives still far outweigh the negatives, because you can't get everything right, especially when the budget presented to you isn't what you would ideally want.

"I think him being linked with Sheffield Wednesday is one thing, but him moving to Sheffield Wednesday would be another, because Sheffield Wednesday could look at anyone all they want.

"If he ever decided to leave Pompey and go to Sheffield Wednesday, then I don't know if it would be a good look for the club. It would require us to do a heck tonne of work in the summer.

"I don't know what kind of chaos a decision like this would cause. Certainly, it wouldn't be a good look, losing one of your biggest assets to a League One club.

"I don't think that happens. I hope that doesn't happen. This goes back to the John Mousinho question. The next few weeks are going to be incredibly telling on what the Eisner's ambition for the club is.

"If they want to send out a statement, then they back Hughes, they back Mousinho. We are at a place now where we cannot afford to lose such detrimental figures.

"We have to back them. We have to give them what they need, and go from there. I would be incredibly shocked if he was to move, more from the club's point of view.

"I would sense that there is something going very wrong there. Hopefully that doesn't happen, and hopefully he stays, and John Mousinho as well."

Richard Hughes, Sheffield Wednesday switch would be damning for Portsmouth

Sheffield Wednesday are already a very different club to the one that spent the majority of the Championship season in administration, thanks to the arrival of new owner David Storch and the Arise consortium.

That was demonstrated by the party atmosphere at Hillsborough Stadium that accompanied the 2-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

Furthermore, the EFL have confirmed that Wednesday will not be handed a 15-point deduction in League One next term, meaning that they can plot a potential promotion bid, rather than worrying about the threat of relegation to League Two, albeit they are facing financial restrictions.

However, it would still be a bad look for Portsmouth if Hughes swaps Fratton Park for Hillsborough, given the Owls' third-tier status - Hughes growing up in Staffordshire though which is much closer to Sheffield than it is Portsmouth could potentially be a bit of a swayer in some capacity.