League One champions Pompey are under no illusions of the challenge that awaits them in next year’s Championship.
Both on and off the pitch, it’s far removed from the environment they’ve been operating in over the past seven seasons and more, and one they’ll quickly need to adjust to if they are to maintain their place in English football’s second tier.
Hull’s decision to sack manager Liam Rosenior after the Tigers missed out on the play-offs by three points was a sharp reminder of the pressure being a Championship club brings. And, no doubt, others could follow suit as post-mortems are carried out on the season just gone.
Thankfully, Pompey chairman Michael Eisner has confirmed Pompey sporting director Rich Hughes and CEO Andy Cullen have been busy ensuring the Blues are Championship-ready. But when you see some of the spending clubs at this level do in order to avoid relegation or go in pursuit of the Premier League, the Fratton Park outfit will need to dig deeper into their pockets or unearth even more gems for John Mousinho to keep the feel-good factor going.
Indeed, here’s the money spent by Championship clubs on recruitment during the 2023-24 campaign, according to transfermarkt.com. Bearing in mind the vast majority of the 21 signings made by Pompey over the past year were either free transfer or loan deals, there’s a huge gap!
Note: Figures for QPR and West Brom not provided.
