Portsmouth’s Transfer Gamble: Hughes Optimistic Despite Le Roux Misstep

Portsmouth sporting director Richard Hughes believes the squad he has assembled can carry the club forward, even after a transfer window he admits was one of the toughest of his tenure.

Pompey brought in 12 new signings over the summer, leaning on what Hughes had already described as a bigger budget than in previous years. The club pushed hard in the market, with up-front fees for striker Marko Milovanovic and midfielder Rocco Shein surpassing the entirety of last summer’s transfer spend.

Some of those arrivals have already started to influence games. Yet, behind the scenes, the process was anything but smooth.

"I'm pleased with a lot of the work that's taken place," Hughes told BBC Radio Solent.

"A big reflection is that it's been one of the more challenging windows that we've had and that's been echoed across the market in terms of the challenges with recruitment to the Championship."

The jump in ambition has been clear. So has the sense that this group is still only just beginning to take shape.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing where the group plays out to be once they get a bit more comfortable with each other and have played a few more games," Hughes said.

"Overall I'm really pleased with the work that we've done and the strength in depth that we've added to the group, I'm optimistic as to where we can go with this squad."

Big spend in, little money out

While Portsmouth were aggressive with their incomings, they struggled badly when it came to shifting players who had slipped out of favour.

Andre Dozzell and Luke Le Roux both left Fratton Park on free transfers, despite the club having paid around £1m for Le Roux only last year. The South Africa midfielder started this season in the side but soon dropped down John Mousinho's pecking order, ending with just 14 league appearances to his name.

At the start of September, Portsmouth announced they had reached a mutual agreement to terminate Le Roux’s contract. Dozzell headed to MLS with DC United earlier in the summer, while Le Roux this week secured a move to Belgian top-flight outfit Cercle Brugge.

Hughes did not try to hide from the criticism.

"With Luke's situation everyone will be right to point criticism towards myself, John and the recruitment department," he admitted.

"It's one we have to take and we have to wear that, it was something that didn't work on our part and it didn't work for Luke on the pitch.

"We wanted to find a permanent solution for him to leave and that didn't present itself, we'll take the learnings from this and make sure that it doesn't happen again."

Portsmouth have paid for their ambition in more ways than one. Now the question is whether this expensive, expanded squad can turn Hughes’ optimism into something more tangible in the Championship table.