Portsmouth FC could do worse than adding old Championship head for free: View | OneFootball

John Mousinho will know this is an important summer for his Portsmouth side as they prepare to return to Championship football.

The South Coast side will be playing second-tier football for the first time since 2012, and they will want to remain there for more than a season.

Mousinho has been excellent since arriving at Fratton Park, with everything he touches turning to gold and his signings all paying off.

Portsmouth supporters will hope that continues this summer, as the club is going to need good reinforcements if they are to be competitive in the Championship.

All areas will be looked at by Mousinho, but it is pretty obvious that the club need to strengthen in defence, with centre-backs being quite light at the club. Therefore, it may be wise for Pompey to look at adding Sean Morrison to the club, as he is a free agent after leaving Rotherham United.

Sean Morrison leaves Rotherham United

Sean Morrison has been a defender who has been around for some time now, playing for the likes of Reading FC, Huddersfield Town, and Cardiff City.

The 33-year-old was with the Bluebirds from 2014 to 2022, during which time he helped the club reach the top flight as well as remain in the second tier.

But his time came to an end in the summer of 2022, and while he was available as a free agent, he didn’t sign for his next club until January last year.

Rotherham United decided to bring the defender to their club, a decision that didn’t go as planned, as Morrison played just twice in the second half of last season.

However, the centre-back signed a contract extension last summer, staying at the club for the 2023/24 season.

This campaign turned out much better, as he appeared 27 times in the Championship for the Millers. But, given that the Yorkshire club were relegated after a poor season, they have decided to let the 33-year-old leave the club when his contract expires at the end of June.

That now means Morrison is available for a free transfer, and while he may be getting older, he could be a good addition for a newly promoted team like Portsmouth.

As mentioned, Portsmouth are returning to the Championship for the first time since 2012, so the club will be going into a league with mainly players from League One and League Two football.

This isn’t a big disadvantage, as players are very much showing that they can make the step up from these leagues to the second tier.

However, John Mousinho will likely want to add a little experience to his squad over the summer, as he won’t want his players to be naive and not think that at times it is going to be difficult.

Furthermore, as well as looking to add Championship experience to his side, Mousinho will likely be in the market for at least one central defender this summer.

This is because Pompey have decided to let Sean Raggett and Josh Dockerill leave the club when their contracts expire at the end of June. This means the club has Regan Poole, Tom McIntyre, Ryley Towler, and Conor Shaughnessy on their books, who can play at centre-back.

These are good options for Portsmouth, but one or two of them may still be moved on by the club, and therefore, Pompey may need to add a centre-back or two to their squad to give them enough options for the season ahead.

Morrison could be a very smart addition for the South Coast side because, as mentioned, he is a free agent, and his experience of second-tier football could speak volumes for a team that has just been promoted.

Morrison appeared in 27 games in the league this season, 21 of which came from the start, and he averaged around 72 minutes on the pitch per game.

In those appearances, the defender scored one goal and even chipped in with two assists, as he created one big chance for his teammates and picked up 0.4 key passes. But it was his defensive capabilities that he was judged on more.

He averaged 1.1 interceptions per game, as well as one tackle, and recovered the ball an impressive 2.6 times. He helped the Millers keep three clean sheets when he was on the pitch, which wasn’t too bad given how poor they were throughout the season, as per Sofascore.com.

Morrison wouldn’t come in and play every single minute of every single game, but he could be a useful player to have in and around the squad. Furthermore, he would be a useful player to have if called upon, as he’s got a bundle of Championship experience, having played 295 games at that level of football.