Portsmouth FC set to seal Bristol City transfer agreement | OneFootball

Portsmouth are close to signing central defender Rob Atkinson on loan from Championship rival Bristol City

Portsmouth are poised to land the signing of Bristol City's Rob Atkinson on loan for the remainder of the 2024/25 Championship campaign, with John Mousinho clearly intent on bolstering his backline as early as possible.

That's according to a recent update from reporter Andrew Moon, who revealed the news via his X account on Friday afternoon.

Portsmouth have wasted no time in getting business done thus far, and Atkinson appears set to be the first of what supporters will hope to be a number of fresh faces arriving at Fratton Park throughout the month.

The Championship strugglers are next in action on Sunday afternoon, where a daunting trip to fourth-placed Sunderland awaits, but it's unlikely Atkinson will be making his bow at the Stadium of Light.

Portsmouth FC set to sign Bristol City's Rob Atkinson

According to Moon, Portsmouth are close to completing the deal, the basis of which will be a loan for the rest of the season.

Should the deal go through as expected, Atkinson will become the fifth player to join Portsmouth on loan this season after Harvey Blair, Freddie Potts, Mark O'Mahony and Samuel Silvera, meaning Mousinho will be out of matchday loan spots unless at least one player returns to their parent club.

Atkinson, however, will be the most experienced member of Portsmouth's loan contingent, having been a regular for two seasons at Bristol City. That was until he suffered a serious ACL injury during a match against Sunderland in February 2023, which has kept him sidelined ever since.

The 26-year-old has not returned to the pitch in more than 18 months, although he appears to be ready for contention given he's frequently been named on Liam Manning's Robins bench.

Bristol City's Rob Atkinson is a high-risk, high-reward signing for Portsmouth FC

The duration of time in which Atkinson has spent on the sidelines without returning to the pitch is a real cause for concern and instantly brings an undeniable risk element to the signing.

Considering that Portsmouth are in the midst of a relegation battle and find themselves just one point above 22nd-placed Hull City at this moment in time, along with contending with a defensive injury crisis, one would imagine he will need to get up to speed rather quickly.

With the likes of Regan Poole, Conor Shaugnessy and Ibane Bowat all out injured, Portsmouth are short-staffed at the back and Atkinson could prove a shrewd addition if he can rediscover the performance levels he displayed with both Bristol City and Oxford United, but he will need to hit the ground running.

Though goals are not exactly an issue for Pompey, who are currently averaging 1.3 goals per match and twice scored four times in a single match in the last two weeks alone, Mousinho has much to address defensively.

Currently, only bottom-placed outfit Plymouth Argyle are conceding more goals per match than their 1.7, and they're also conceding the fourth-highest xG in the Championship right now.

Ensuring more strength and stability in the backline is key for Portsmouth if they're going to stay up, so Atkinson could turn out to be an important signing if he can get up to speed and shore up the defence.