Pompey Clear On The Future Of 30-year-Old Midfielder At Fratton Park

Portsmouth have secured their Championship status for the 2025/26 campaign in their first season back in the second-tier for more than a decade after lifting the League One title under John Mousinho last year.

It has been a term not without trials and tribulations on the south coast, and an extremely challenging start to the season had seen Mousinho’s men emerge as likely relegation candidates, but they have improved over the course of the campaign and have deservedly ensured survival ahead of their final day home clash against 22nd-placed Hull City.

Buoyed by vociferous support from the Fratton Park faithful, Pompey boast the division’s ninth-best home record with 11 victories, six defeats and just five losses from 22 outings and that has played a central role in their survival. As too have the performances of Josh Murphy, who, after enduring a mixed start following his arrival from Oxford United last summer, has grown in confidence and importance to emerge among the Championship’s outstanding wide players in 2024/25.

Indeed, no player across the second-tier has registered more assists than Murphy’s 11 or more big chances than his return of 21, while only Joel Piroe, Finn Azaz and Josh Bornwhill have returned more combined direct goal involvements.

The 30-year-old has enjoyed scintillating form for much of the campaign, taking the Championship by storm and carving out perhaps the best, or at least the most consistent series of displays, of his career.

Portsmouth FC urged not to lose Josh Murphy this summer

FLW asked our resident Pompey fan pundit, Miltos Ioaniddis, to name and explain the one player he is desperate for his side not to lose this summer.

Miltos, as one may have expected, went with Murphy, who he believes was “robbed” of a place in the Championship’s official Team of the Season behind Norwich City’s Borja Sainz.

In Miltos’ view, the ex-Norwich City and Cardiff winger has been “absolutely unbelievable” this term and Pompey simply cannot afford to lose his services ahead of their second season back in the Championship.

“There are plenty, in my opinion,” Miltos told FLW.

“Something I’ve gone on about plenty of times this season is that we’ve got a really good base to build on for next season. It’s really difficult for me to single out any particular player, because I think it’s the whole team that makes us really strong.

“Obviously someone can point the finger at someone like Josh Murphy, who was absolutely unbelievable this season for us and, in my opinion, was robbed of a place in the Championship Team of the Season.

“Robbed is not a word that I usually use so much, but I genuinely believe he deserved to be in that team for someone like Borja Sainz. No offense to him, he had a phenomenal start to the season and started the campaign off really, really good, but he’s only had two goals since November.

“Murphy, 14 assists and seven goals for a newly-promoted and often relegation-battling Pompey side. That’s way more impressive, in my opinion, and he deserved to be in that team.

“Anyway, Murphy is a player we certainly can’t afford to lose, similar with Colby Bishop and Callum Lang.

“We may see a couple of surprising departures, but those will be for them to make way for new players to arrive that can help the existing core become even better and go to the next level.”

Portsmouth FC’s Josh Murphy may earn transfer interest this summer

Although Murphy is certainly not getting any younger at the age of 30, he has turned a corner in the trajectory of his career and both the quality and consistency of his performances under Mousinho would make for little surprise if suitors began to circle.

This time last year, when Murphy was directing Oxford’s ascent back to the Championship ahead of the conclusion of his contract at the Kassam Stadium, the likes of Southampton, Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion were among a clutch of second-tier sides linked to his signature.

Murphy went on to score both goals as Oxford defeated Bolton Wanderers in the play-off final before joining Portsmouth on a free transfer, which represented a major coup for Pompey at the time. The deal now looks infinitely more impressive, though, given the scale of his form in the Championship this season, and it would only be right if a similar calibre of admirers – namely those poised to compete at the top-end of the league table, came calling once again.

The ex-England youth international is clearly loving his football at Fratton Park and will likely be in no real hurry to leave, but while his performances have helped Portsmouth towards another season in the second-tier, they surely will not go unnoticed and Mousinho and co may face something of a battle to retain him this summer.