Portsmouth manager John Mousinho stated that the club considered signing free agent Michail Antonio.

Antonio hasn’t played for a club since breaking his leg in a horrific car crash in December 2024, although he did represent Jamaica in the CONCACAF Gold Cup last summer.

More than a year ago, the experienced forward was driving his £260,000 Ferrari when it went off the road in Essex.

In addition, his old club West Ham declined to renew his contract, which expired last summer.

The Hammers did enable Antonio to utilize the club’s facilities throughout his recovery as he sought a move abroad.

Leicester were apparently interested in the out-of-contract striker, who was training with the club near the end of 2025.

However, Antonio’s injury setback in January ruined any chances of a signing at King Power Stadium.Michail suffered a setback throughout the training. It’s a minor injury. It is a shame. Marti Cifuentes, then-Leicester head coach, stated on BBC Radio Leicester that the team may be unable to continue the current procedure.The window is open. We’ll examine what additional solutions are available.

Play up Pompey!

Antonio has since been training with Championship club Charlton Athletic, and a move to the Addicks is apparently in the cards.

A move to Qatari club Al-Sailiya has also been discussed, and speculations of a transfer this month have alarmed Pompey fans.

South Coast supporters have urged the club to confirm their rumored interest in Antonio in order to strengthen their survival chances.

Pompey are just four points clear of the relegation zone, but they do have a game in hand on 22nd-placed West Brom.

Mousinho revealed that Portsmouth did not pursue Antonio to relieve their relegation concerns.Mousinho stated that bringing in a Premier League player who had recently been involved in a serious automobile accident was not the proper decision due to their physical condition.There weren’t many other players in that market who we thought might make an impact on the starting XI. I suppose that’s the take.”

Freeasy does it.

Portsmouth has entered the free agent market in each of the previous two seasons, with Lee Evans and Alexander Milosevic signing on at Fratton Park.

Mousinho acknowledges the challenges of signing out-of-contract players.”It’s difficult to sign free agents who can impact the Championship at this stage of the season,” the Pompey manager added.We have done this before. We did that with Lee Evans and had some success there. Lee needed a few months to adjust to his new role.I believe he had an excellent season with Blackpool. “He was cooperative, but I believe we assisted him in regaining the necessary physical fitness.””He was good with us, but not at Lee Evans’ previous levels from last year.”We brought in Alex, a senior professional who was excellent to have around, but he couldn’t reach the requisite standards.Alex then departed and eventually retired; he was the finest candidate on our list. He was an excellent player, a Swedish international who kept himself in good shape.

“But if you’ve been out of the game a little while it’s just very, very difficult.”

Prior to their midweek setback to Wrexham, Portsmouth had won consecutive games at Charlton and Millwall, helping them edge away from the relegation zone.

And they’ll be looking to win again when they face Hull at home on Saturday.