Portsmouth FC’s Richard Hughes cites Sunderland, Ipswich Town deal in transfer strategy reveal | OneFootball

Portsmouth sporting director Richard Hughes has opened up on the transfer strategy at the club.

Portsmouth sporting director Richard Hughes has revealed his excitement at how the summer transfer window played out, as he opened up on the road they want to go down, citing Sunderland and Jack Clarke as an example.

Pompey secured a return to the Championship, so they were active in the market as they looked to strengthen the squad.

However, with the club not having the resources of many rivals in the division, they must have a clear strategy in place if they are to be successful.

Richard Hughes discusses Portsmouth transfer approach

And, speaking to the Portsmouth News, Hughes has opened up on that strategy, as he explained they will generally target younger players, who they hope to sell on for profit in the future, as he highlighted Sunderland as a club who are successful at doing just that.

“There have been a lot of exciting transfers, a lot of upside and a lot of potential, but with that we also feel there are enough players who are going to affect the here and now and immediacy of it.

“It’s always a fine balance and, as a club, we have decided on a strategy we all firmly believe in. One of the biggest advantages we have - and probably every club will say this - is we have some top, top coaches behind the scenes which work with these players. They will get the support and time they need to be successful, which is what makes this model slightly more achievable.

“More and more clubs are doing this, Sunderland are the same. Kristjaan Speakman (sporting director) is someone I know well and they have recruited a lot of exciting talent. They are a little further ahead in their journey in terms of selling players. They bought Jack Clarke (from Spurs) who was high potential and he’s recently had a very good move back to the Premier League with Ipswich.

“It takes a lot of time to get to that point. The next step for us is the next stage of the development. We have a lot of good young assets in the group now and it’s up to them to perform and flourish.

“We will see where their futures go and then we’ll keep moving forward with it - that’s a highly exciting thing for everyone to be involved in.”

Portsmouth are right to follow this transfer approach

As Hughes outlines, Portsmouth are just at the beginning of this approach, but fans should feel confident that they are on the right track with what they want to do.

Sunderland are a good example to use, as they’ve made progress in the past few years, and there are other clubs who adopt a similar strategy, such as Brentford and Brighton, who have made it to the Premier League.

Pompey know more than most clubs about the importance of being responsible financially, and the reality is that, in the modern game, player trading is going to be key to that.

Therefore, Hughes and the recruitment team need to be trusted as they try to sign players who can develop and improve at Fratton Park. Then, when you start to make bigger sales, the process can be a bit easier as you have more freedom with who you can attract.

The past 18 months demonstrate that Portsmouth are moving in the right direction as a club, with John Mousinho doing a fine job as head coach.