Portsmouth FC: Richard Hughes' Sunderland claim should have Fratton Park faithful buzzing - View | OneFootball

Richard Hughes has revealed Portsmouth's attempts to emulate the transfer strategy of Championship league leaders Sunderland

Sunderland may have been a real foe during their shared days in League One but Portsmouth are now striving to take a leaf from their book and emulate the transfer strategy in place at the Stadium of Light - and that should seriously excite the Pompey faithful.

Portsmouth finally concluded their twelve-year exile from the Championship by romping to the League One title last term, having previously tried and failed on numerous occasions to gain access through the promotion trapdoor.

Although second-tier survival may represent a realistic expectation - if not a solid foundation to build upon for the time being - Pompey's fundamental strategy is indicative of loftier long-term ambitions.

Indeed, Josh Mousinho's side are publicly attempting to replicate the recruitment philosophy of Sunderland, which has divided opinion, attracted contest and critique, and produced no shortage of trials and tribulations, but is now being vindicated following patience, persistence and faith.

Kyril Louis-Dreyfus [chairman] and Kristjaan Speakman [sporting director] have spearheaded a fresh and progressive youth-centred approach to scouting and recruitment.

The Black Cats had the youngest squad across the Championship by measure of average age over the last two seasons - which was naturally more of a problem when Sunderland were finishing 16th instead of in the play-offs - through a strategy of signing young, unproven talent for insignificant sums before cultivating those assets enough to optimise considerable profit and resale value in the future.

Is that model paying dividends? Well, the Championship table reveals as much after four games. Sunderland find themselves at its very summit, having won all four of their encounters including a 3-1 victory at Fratton Park before the international break.

For those in the home end who witnessed the recent drubbing, then, any potential emulation of that team and its broader vision is sure to excite.

Portsmouth have started the season in reasonable form, with their defeat by Regis Le Bris' side providing their only loss thus far. However, their summer recruitment was principally orientated around imitating Sunderland's modus operandi.

Barring a few notable exceptions in the likes of Josh Murphy and Matt Ritchie, Pompey signed nine players aged 24 or under, which is undeniably indicative of a long-term vision in place at Fratton Park.

As such, sporting director Richard Hughes revealed all in a recent interview with the Portsmouth News, extensively explaining their vision to mirror Sunderland's model by targeting younger players and eyeing potential profit.

"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," Hughes said.

"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 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 Tottenham Hotspur] 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."

Richard Hughes' Portsmouth, Sunderland transfer reveal is promising

Given the extent to which Sunderland are currently enjoying the fruits of their labour, the revelation that Portsmouth are intending to follow suit should provide a source of significant excitement.

As Sunderland themselves can testify, though, it is not a straightforward process.

Immediacy is sacrificed at the expense of long-term gain, inconsistency is inevitable and, invariably, there will be a selection of recruits who fail to establish themselves as strategic byproducts.

In all fairness, Hughes has already addressed that. Should Portsmouth supporters desire a long-term mission back towards the Premier League while operating on a sustainable budget, spending shrewdly and collecting sizable transfer profit, then they must resist impatience and trust the process.

It is one which, when executed correctly, of course, can not only deliver the prized promotion present but place clubs in strong and sustained health for years to come despite what happens in the big time.

Fundamentally, as far as the game is concerned, the recent movement towards this approach is positive and refreshing in an era of inflation and ill-fated desires for instant gratification.

Just look at how many clubs have crashed and burned after throwing the kitchen sink - and then some - at gaining promotion, or qualification to more prestigious tournaments in the top flight, only to fall short in such pursuits.

Sunderland have very much paved the way in terms of the emphasis and unequivocal faith they have placed in their own model, and it will be all the more positive if Portsmouth and other clubs can conduct a similar vision with similar rewards.