Portsmouth's sporting director Richard Hughes has expressed confidence in the club's ability to keep manager John Mousinho, who has been linked with other teams. Mousinho has been instrumental in keeping Pompey in the Championship for a second successive season, winning four of their final six matches to finish 18th and avoid relegation. He signed a new two-year contract in September 2024, but has recently been linked with a number of clubs, including Bristol City, who have since appointed former Lincoln boss Michael Skubala. Hughes says the club have not received any official approaches for Mousinho and he was keen to dispel a lot of online rumours, adding the board have signed off on a budget increase for next season. The club's ambition is to keep Mousinho and improve year on year, and Hughes believes that with the right recruitment, they can be in a stronger position than they were last year. Pompey finished 2025-26 with one point more than they achieved after coming up from League One the season before, but were 18th, two places lower. They will be joined in 2026-27 by relegated Premier league trio West Ham, Burnley and Wolves, plus promoted League One sides Cardiff, Bolton and Lincoln. The Championship is expected to be tough again next season, but Hughes is confident that Pompey can compete with the teams towards the bottom half of the table.