Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho faces an agonising squad selection dilemma as he must cut three players from his current group to meet Football League registration limits. The Blues' senior squad currently contains 28 players, but league rules mandate a maximum of 25 registered professionals, forcing Mousinho to make tough decisions before the deadline, according to a report from portsmouth.co.uk this week.
Luke Le Roux's departure by mutual consent has already reduced the number by one, but three more exclusions are required. Players left unregistered cannot feature in first-team football until January at the earliest, adding significant weight to each decision. Portsmouth's early Championship form adds pressure, with the team sitting 21st in the table with just three points from four games, having scored five goals but conceded eight.
Who are the likely candidates for exclusion?
Long-term absentee Mark Kosznovszky is not expected back until January, making him a probable omission from the registered list. Jacob Farrell is another player Mousinho is reportedly looking to offload this summer. The situation becomes more complex with several players carrying injury concerns that affect their immediate availability.
Josh Murphy has been ruled out until November following groin surgery, while Keshi Anderson's torn quad muscle originally pencilled him in for a mid-October return. Harvey Blair, who made his first appearance of the season in the recent defeat at Bristol City, is in his third Pompey campaign after arriving from Liverpool. Blair's situation mirrors last January when he claimed a spare registration spot that had been kept open for injured players.
How do age and loan rules affect the calculation?
Football League squad registration rules treat loan players differently from club-developed talents. Loan signings Jayden Meghoma, Benjy Arthur, and Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, all aged 20 or below, count toward the 25-man limit regardless of their age. This differs from under-21 players developed at the club, who do not require registration.
Of Portsmouth's twelve summer signings, Eoin Kenny and Luke Brooke-Smith are classed as under-21 players and therefore do not need to be included in the senior squad list. Franco Umeh, Tayo Singer, and Thomas Waddington also fall into this category, though Waddington carries his own injury concerns. The distinction provides some flexibility but doesn't solve the core problem of having too many senior professionals.
What has happened in previous registration windows?
Portsmouth have faced similar decisions since returning to the Championship in 2024. Tom Lowery, Ben Stevenson, and Jordan Archer have all been excluded from registration in previous seasons. Perhaps the most notable case involved striker Colby Bishop, who was omitted during the first half of the 2024-25 campaign while recovering from heart surgery.
Bishop eventually replaced Ibane Bowat in November 2024 once fully fit. Last January, Mousinho named only 24 players and kept one spot spare for the second half of the season, specifically for injured trio Blair, Josh Knight, and Florian Bianchini. Blair ultimately claimed that place while Knight and Bianchini did not feature again in the 2025-26 campaign. You can view the current squad composition on our dedicated squad page.
What does this mean for Portsmouth's immediate future?
With the registration deadline approaching, Mousinho must balance short-term needs against long-term planning. "I am ready to get ruthless as he targets the one remaining player to cut from his Pompey squad," the manager said. The report text noted that "that leaves one remaining space - and no obvious candidate for the Blues’ head coach to select."
The decisions come at a challenging time for Portsmouth, who trail league leaders Swansea by seven points in the early title race. Their next Championship fixture sees them travel to face third-placed Charlton on September 12, a match you can find on our fixtures schedule. The team's recent form shows three losses in their last four outings, making squad harmony and availability particularly important as they seek to climb from their current position in the standings.
