Richard Hughes Optimistic About Portsmouth's Rebuild

Portsmouth have come out of a heavy summer of change with a bigger budget, a deeper squad and, crucially, a sporting director who is happy to be judged on it.

Richard Hughes, the man behind a 12-strong influx of new signings at Fratton Park, says he is “optimistic” about the group he has assembled after what he describes as one of the toughest windows he has worked through.

Record outlay, higher expectations

Pompey pushed harder than in previous years. Hughes had already admitted the club were working with a larger budget, and it showed.

Up-front fees for striker Marko Milovanovic and midfielder Rocco Shein alone eclipsed Portsmouth’s entire transfer spend from last summer. Those deals underlined a clear shift: this was a window built for the Championship, not just to survive it.

Some of the new arrivals have already started to influence games, vindicating the club’s decision to spend. But Hughes made it clear the process was anything but smooth.

“I'm pleased with a lot of the work that's taken place,” he told BBC Radio Solent, before lifting the lid on the grind behind the scenes. “A big reflection is that it's been one of the more challenging windows that we've had and that's been echoed across the market in terms of the challenges with recruitment to the Championship.”

The division is unforgiving. So is the market. Portsmouth have tried to get ahead of it.

Building depth – and a dressing room

Hughes’ focus has not just been on headline signings. He stressed the importance of giving head coach John Mousinho a squad with real depth and internal competition, something Pompey have lacked in recent years.

“I'm really looking forward to seeing where the group plays out to be once they get a bit more comfortable with each other and have played a few more games,” he said.

That line matters. Portsmouth have changed a large chunk of their dressing room in one hit. The talent is there; the chemistry will take time.

“Overall I'm really pleased with the work that we've done and the strength in depth that we've added to the group,” Hughes added. “I'm optimistic as to where we can go with this squad.”

The message is clear: judge this rebuild over months, not weeks.

The flipside: exits that hurt

For all the noise around the arrivals, the other side of the window told a more awkward story. Portsmouth struggled to secure transfer fees for players who had slipped out of favour and were ready to move on.

Andre Dozzell and Luke Le Roux both left Fratton Park for nothing, a stark contrast to the money being pushed out on new faces. Dozzell departed earlier in the summer for MLS side DC United. Le Roux, who only arrived last year, sealed a switch this week to Belgian top-flight club Cercle Brugge.

Le Roux’s case stings the most. Portsmouth paid £1m for the South Africa midfielder, who began this season in the side but then slid down Mousinho’s pecking order, ending up with just 14 league appearances.

At the start of September, the club confirmed they had reached a mutual agreement to terminate his contract.

For a club trying to trade smarter, walking away from a seven-figure signing without a fee is a bruising outcome.

Hughes takes the hit

Hughes did not duck the criticism.

“With Luke's situation everyone will be right to point criticism towards myself, John and the recruitment department,” he admitted.

That is an unusually direct acceptance of responsibility in a game where blame is often spread thin. “It's one we have to take and we have to wear that, it was something that didn't work on our part and it didn't work for Luke on the pitch.”

Portsmouth tried to find a permanent move during the window. Nothing suitable materialised. In the end, the club chose a clean break.

“We wanted to find a permanent solution for him to leave and that didn't present itself,” Hughes said. “We'll take the learnings from this and make sure that it doesn't happen again.”

So Pompey emerge from the window with a stronger squad, a bigger wage bill and one expensive lesson still ringing in their ears. The question now is simple: will this bold, costly rebuild carry them where Hughes believes they can go?