John Mousinho’s name cannot escape the headlines this summer, as he has been linked with a move away from Portsmouth on numerous occasions.

The 40-year-old has been in charge of Pompey for almost three years and has led them to the Championship and avoided relegation for the past two seasons.

Given his performance at Fratton Park, it is surprise that there has been interest in his services, with Bristol City allegedly in talks with the former Oxford United player, though those talks have since ended.

Stoke City have been linked with a transfer for Mousinho if Mark Robins is sacked, but should he leave what has been a reliable ship on the South Coast?

John Mousinho warned of Stoke City’s risks as Pompey manager eyed up

Stoke began the 2025-26 season on a high note, winning three of their first three league games, including one against Southampton, and many predicted their promotion.

Perhaps the major reason they were so popular was their manager, Robins, who did an excellent job of guiding Coventry City from League One to Championship promotion contention.

However, the 56-year-old has been unable to halt the Potters’ decline, with the team ending in 17th place and reports circulating that the management may replace him this summer.

FLW’s Portsmouth fan pundit Miltos Ioannidis expressed concern about Mousinho’s potential departure from Fratton Park.Miltos believes there have been few successful managers at Stoke City since their relegation from the Premier League.Stoke City differs from Portsmouth in terms of providing managers with time and support beyond financial incentives.

If John Mousinho had been at Stoke for the previous season, he would have faced dismissal on multiple occasions. This is not a sustainable football philosophy.It is the exact opposite of what John Mousinho frequently refers to as the perfect model for establishing a football club.

Sustainability is not something they appear to practice at Stoke, so I wouldn’t understand it if he left us to go there.”

Would Stoke make a sideways move for John Mousinho?

When comparing recent history, it’s difficult to deny that Stoke is the more successful team, but since their relegation from the Premier League in 2018, they’ve failed to finish in the top half of the Championship.

Portsmouth, on the other hand, has emerged from the depths of League Two following their relegation from the top flight eight years ago, finishing barely above the drop zone in the last two seasons.

Both clubs undoubtedly have Premier League ambitions, but given the strength of the second tier, neither is expected to get promoted next season.

Indeed, considering the upheaval at the Bet365 Stadium over the years, Militos doubts they have the strategy to reach the pinnacle, and when asked if it would be a sideways transfer for Mousinho, he questioned whether that was even possible.

“For Stoke, perhaps it’s not even a sideways move really,” he said.Because you think about all the things that John Mousinho has bragged on about, about what he expects from an ambitious club that wants to push higher up the table and have ambitions for the Premier League and for establishing themselves essentially as a club that is ambitious and wants to do big things.

“Stoke City and the whole strategy that’s going on over there is not really replicating that, so I’d say it would be a shock, and I don’t think that’s happening based on everything that we know about John Mousinho and Stoke City.”

Given the velocity of reports about Mousinho’s future, it would be stupid to believe that talk of him leaving Fratton Park will go down anytime soon, but it is unclear how tempted he is by what is on offer.

If Portsmouth were to lose their head coach, it would be a significant setback, and they would prefer that this speculation end in one way or another.