‘Best I’ve seen’: Portsmouth boss’ big claim as former Ipswich Town, Birmingham City and QPR man seals deal.
His Championship form improved dramatically, with John Mousinho giving the midfielder high marks at Fratton Park this season.
John Mousinho believes Andre Dozzell’s form reached a career high as he played a key role in Pompey’s Championship survival.
After signing a contract with Fratton, the midfielder is now expected to elevate his performance.
Dozzell will remain at PO4 next season after joining as a free agent from Championship rivals QPR last summer.
Mousinho hailed Dozzell as a player with ‘Premier League potential’ after joining Pompey.
But the talent was there for Blues fans to see, as they expressed their appreciation for the former Ipswich and Birmingham player’s performances in the latter stages of the season. Mousinho now wants Dozzell to raise the bar even higher in what he considers to be the best season of the players’ careers.
He stated: “You can see it (Premier League potential); the main thing for Andre is to bring consistency of top performance.” We see it every day in training, and I believe we saw it during the second half of the season.
‘He’s been a standout player in a new role, which was probably a step up from being a six.
‘He brings a lot of energy to his game and has the ability to score goals. He scored two goals and has the potential for many more because he is a good finisher who arrives late in the box.
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‘There is that potential in Andre, but I also believe that was the best I’ve seen him play consistently over a season in many years, if not his entire career. So I’m really looking forward to the next season.
Andre Dozzell celebrates his goal at QPR. | National World
‘Early in the season, the game may have passed him by, so it’s up to him to seize the ball, drive forward, and dominate games – as we believe he can.
‘He’s not the biggest player, but he can move and win tackles. When all of this comes together, he’s a fantastic player.
Why was the Pompey midfielder left out of the Championship run-in?
Dozzell’s future was linked to Pompey’s promotion to the Championship, with a contract extension contingent on the club staying in the division.
He had to make do with a bench role during the run of games that secured his team’s divisional position, but Mousinho clarified that this was not due to Dozzell’s performance.
The Portuguese coach said: “We had the option of triggering Andre’s contract if we remained in the league, which we definitely wanted to do.”
‘He’s made a significant impact.
‘He was a victim early on when he was dropped from a struggling team, but Andre remained focused and we brought him back.
‘When he returned, he had an incredible run of football and was an outstanding performer. That was the case for the majority of the season.
‘It was an unusual one towards the end because we left Andre out. We lost four out of five games, and it wasn’t because of his performances.
We wanted something new, and Isaac (Hayden) was excited to return. So we decided to leave Andre out, but not because of his performance; we knew we’d have Andre next year and were looking forward to it.
YOUR NEXT POMPEY READ: ‘One of the best in English football’ – how the Fratton factor is helping Pompey’s transfer efforts.
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