‘We aren’t going to stand in his way’: Portsmouth boss clarifies Fratton future of ex-Spurs and Millwall man

‘We aren’t going to stand in his way’: Portsmouth boss clarifies Fratton future of ex-Spurs and Millwall man.

The former Fulham, Oxford United, and Middlesbrough player has made three appearances since joining in June 2024.

John Mousinho has revealed that Pompey will not stand in Jordan Archer’s way if he wishes to leave.

The 32-year-old’s future at Fratton Park is uncertain, with Ben Killip preferred as Nicolas Schmid’s understudy for the upcoming Championship season.

The Blues would prefer to have four goalkeepers on their roster and are currently looking for new additions, with Alfie Whiteman trialling for the last two weeks.

John Mousinho insists Pompey won't stand in the way of Jordan Archer if he wants to move. Picture: Paul Phelan/ProSportsImages
However, Archer has recently attracted interest, most notably from Salford, who this week decided to sign 38-year-old ex-Wrexham stopper Mark Howard and bring back Matty Young on a season-long loan from Sunderland.
Schmid, Killip, and Whiteman were the goalkeepers who travelled to Reading on Saturday for Pompey’s latest friendly, a 4-0 victory, with Archer missing. And Mousinho admits the former Tottenham and Millwall player could leave this summer.

He told The News that Jordan is training as usual, with no changes. I’m not sure if there is any interest (in him); it’s one of those situations that we’re keeping open.

‘If Jordan turns around and says there’s an opportunity for me to go play football, we’re probably not going to stand in the way.

Jordan Archer and Ben Killip are fighting it out to be Pompey number two. Picture: Jason Brown/ProSportsImages
Jordan Archer and Ben Killip are fighting it out to be Pompey number two. Picture: Jason Brown/ProSportsImages | Jason Brown/ProSportsImages

‘But, at the same time, he has been training extremely well, has played against Farnborough, and is a pleasure to have around.

‘We always intended to play Nico for 90 minutes against Reading, so we didn’t want to bring along four goalkeepers and make it difficult.’

Killip set for Hawks friendly start

 

Killip is expected to start against the Hawks on Tuesday night (7pm), after being unused off the bench at Madejski Stadium.

In terms of who could be the back-up at Westleigh Park, the Blues are debating whether Whiteman, who has appeared twice in pre-season, will continue to trial, while Archer is also being considered.

So far, his only appearance was in the second half of a 5-0 victory over National South Farnborough, where he shared duties with Schmid.

Meanwhile, Toby Steward is on loan at St Johnstone, where he helped beat Elgin City 8-0 in the Scottish League Cup on Saturday, his fourth appearance of the season.

Portsmouth boss: We want four goalkeepers

And Mousinho has explained why Pompey want four goalkeepers available throughout the season. He went on to say, ‘We want to make sure we have strength in depth in the goalkeeping department, but it’s a difficult one because having a number one, like we do with Nico, can make it difficult to attract people to the football club.

‘Nico, on the other hand, deserves that position based on his performance last season and with Austria. ‘We do talk about having four goalkeepers, and most of the time it’s for training purposes.

We play a lot of small-sided games with two pitches going at the same time, and to do so at a high level, you need four goalkeepers.

‘We are trying to strengthen that department, which is why we want to end up with four. Your Next Pompey Read:

‘The end of speculation’: Pompey boss’ emphatic response on Callum Lang’s Fratton future.

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