Portsmouth make contact with Premier League club in bid to sign international midfielder | OneFootball

John Mousinho is looking for a quick start to the January transfer window for Pompey...

Portsmouth are looking into a loan move for Brighton midfielder Andrew Moran in the early stages of the January transfer window.

It has been a season of struggle for Pompey, who have not been able to kick on from their solid 16th-placed finish in last season’s Championship, with generally poor results increasing the pressure on manager John Mousinho.

The need to strengthen his squad has never been more evident, even after rounding off 2025 with a last-gasp win at Fratton Park over Charlton Athletic on Monday, and one target has already been identified.

Portsmouth submit Andrew Moran enquiry as loan deal wanted

According to BBC commentator Chris Wise, Portsmouth have made contact with fellow south coast club Brighton & Hove Albion in regards to taking midfielder Andrew Moran on a temporary basis for the remainder of the season.

The 22-year-old has played just once in the Premier League for the Seagulls, but he has plenty of Championship experience in the form of loan stints away from the AMEX Stadium, having spent seasons with both Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City as a youngster.

Across those two spells, the Republic of Ireland international - who has three senior caps to his name - racked up 70 English second tier appearances, scoring six goals, but he entered unfamiliar surroundings for the first half of the 2025-26 campaign as he joined MLS outfit Los Angeles FC for the final few months of their season.

Moran appeared 10 times for LAFC as they were knocked out at the quarter-final stage of the Western Conference play-offs, but has now returned to England for his next move, with his chances of game-time under Fabian Hurzeler extremely unlikely.

It remains to be seen if Pompey's enquiry gets them anywhere, but Mousinho is seemingly keen to bolster his midfield options with some more creativity for the second half of 2025-26.

Andrew Moran could add plenty of versatility to John Mousinho's Portsmouth options

With Portsmouth currently sitting 21st in the Championship and just three points above the relegation zone, changes need to be made to push them up the table, with some of the summer additions not proving to be good fits at Fratton Park.

A player of Moran's ilk though could help massively on a few fronts though - not only is he proven at Championship level, but he covers a lot of different positions on the pitch.

Naturally an attacking midfielder, Moran can play as an 'eight' or even deeper in a double pivot if necessary, whilst he's also played out wide for different clubs too during the last few years of his development.

As the second-lowest Championship scorers this season, Portsmouth have needed to add some fresh creativity to their arsenal, and if they can get a deal over the line for Moran, then that will be a good start to the month.