"Absurd" - Exciting Portsmouth FC, Josh Murphy prediction made | OneFootball

Football League World's resident Portsmouth fan pundit discussed Josh Murphy's stellar debut campaign at Fratton Park and what next season could hold

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Josh Murphy enjoyed a mesmeric debut campaign at Portsmouth after turning down the offer of a fresh contract with Oxford United to reunite with former teammate John Mousinho, posting the best individual season of his career and helping to steer the south coast side to Championship survival.

The winger linked back up with Mousinho after rejecting a new contract at the Kassam Stadium in the wake of Oxford's promotion alongside Pompey, which he directed with a stunning brace in their 2-0 League One play-off final victory over Bolton Wanderers.

Murphy's arrival on a free transfer still carried an element of risk, many argued at the time. In spite of the tricky wide-man's extensive second-tier nous and experience, inconsistency has been a recurring theme of his career and he endured mixed spells with Norwich City and Cardiff, having joined the latter for a whopping £11 million ahead of their unsuccessful 2018/19 Premier League campaign.

However, Murphy set about proving the doubters wrong in an emphatic way and finished last season as one of the most productive wingers throughout the entire Championship. Only five players in the division accumulated more combined goals and assists than Murphy's 21 [seven goals and 14 assists], while Murphy created the joint-most big chances in the Championship with 21 and directly accounted for 36% of Portsmouth's 58 goals as they successfully fought off the threat of relegation to finish in 16th position, five points above 22nd-placed Luton Town.

It was, by some distance, the most outstanding campaign of the 30-year-old's whirlwind career. His previous best single-season haul at Championship level came all the way back in the 2017/18 term, his final one at Norwich, where he recorded seven goals and three assists to earn the aforementioned move to Cardiff.

Potential Josh Murphy, one-season wonder Portsmouth FC theory dismissed

With that in mind, FLW asked our resident Pompey fan pundit, Miltos Ioannidis, whether he has any concerns that Murphy could be something of a one-season wonder. The ex-Bluebirds attacker's talents have never been in much doubt, it must be said, although the level of output and consistency displayed at Fratton Park has been markedly different to the rest of his career.

Nonetheless, Miltos believes that the best could be yet to come from Murphy, who he has backed to continue in a similar vein and take his dazzling displays into next season and beyond.

"Absolutely not," Miltos explained to FLW.

"I think Josh Murphy has got everything to take his fine form from this season into the next one. I fully expect and believe that he will do that for us.

"He put up some unbelievably absurd numbers, but I think that was no coincidence. That was down to the fact that John Mousinho has managed to find a player whose quality was always there. Maybe didn't have the best amount of luck with his previous clubs and experiences, but he's managed to fit him in and integrate him in the system that fully works for him.

"He's taken his opportunity to the maximum.

"I think the next step for Pompey as a club is to improve quality-wise in the other attacking areas. Once we do that, we may see Murphy excel even more.

"I think he had a phenomenal season.

"Even in an interview a couple of weeks ago, Murphy talked about how he feels like he can get even better as a player. I absolutely think he can continue his fine form and won't be a one-season wonder, we are lucky to have him.

"Mousinho has pulled a masterstroke with his signing.

"When we signed Murphy, I thought he was going to be a good signing but he hadn't been as consistent with some of his previous clubs.

"Even at Oxford he wasn't setting the world alight, especially in the first one-and-a-half years with them.

"I had worries about whether he would be able to adapt to the Championship once again at the age of 29, but he's managed to do it superbly. I think now he's taken the opportunity and everybody has seen the kind of player that he is, he can continue his impressive form and do more great stuff for us."

Portsmouth FC have crucial Josh Murphy transfer benefit

If Murphy was a few years younger, Portsmouth would undoubtedly find themselves sweating over his immediate future at Fratton Park.

At a younger, or "prime" age, he's exactly the type of player a clutch of top-end Championship clubs and Premier League sides would be fighting tooth and nail to prize away from Pompey, but now aged 30, it's unlikely Murphy will be the subject of such significant interest.

That's not to say suitors will not come calling, and it would be a surprise if Portsmouth made it through the entirety of this summer's transfer window without having to rebuff some approaches for his signature.

However, they will be confident of retaining him for a second season and that is sure to be crucial as Mousinho looks to push Pompey up the table next time out.

Murphy, who is contracted to the club until 2027, has also insisted that he's happy and settled at Portsmouth. That's a huge boost, of course, and you would imagine that Pompey can look forward to yet another campaign of Murphy's starring displays.