Josh Murphy, whose contract at Oxford United expired, has signed with Portsmouth, the club confirmed via club media. Portsmouth beat out teams like Blackburn Rovers and Derby County to sign Murphy.
With his contract with the U’s expiring this summer, Murphy had garnered a lot of interest this window. While there remained the chance that he would return to the Kassam Stadium, it was made public by club media on Tuesday night that he had chosen to decline a new contract with Oxford.
Later that evening, Portsmouth would make him their newest recruit, defeating Blackburn Rovers, who might be seen of as a more established Championship team. Murphy will remain at Fratton Park through at least the summer of 2027 thanks to a contract he inked with the recently promoted team.
Due to the possibility that star player Sammie Szmodics could leave this window, Rovers are anticipated to be in the market for a goal scorer this summer. After scoring 27 goals in the second division the previous season, the Irish international would win the Championship Golden Boot. With four more assists, Szmodics would have contributed directly to 52% of the team’s goals from the previous campaign; without him, they very well may have been demoted.
The Premier League is quite interested in the 29-year-old as a result of his performances. Without a doubt, Rovers will be searching for other goal producers this summer, perhaps to take Szmodics’ place should he depart, but also to avoid becoming overly dependent on one individual.
Murphy understands where the net is, so he would have been a good pickup. The winger helped Oxford advance to the Championship by scoring two more goals in the play-off final and contributing five assists in the third division last season.
Although they would have been a suitable fit for Blackburn, Portsmouth, a Championship team hoping to advance after winning the League, beat them to sign him.
The winger, who Transfermarkt values at approximately £425,000, will sign for free, marking excellent business on the part of John Mousinho.
Although Blackburn will have to go elsewhere to get better in the attacking departments, there is still plenty of time in current window to make the necessary corrections.
Author’s Perspective
Blackburn may have made a smart business move by signing Murphy on a free transfer, but because he hasn’t had a strong season in the Championship in a while, it would be best to look elsewhere.
After last season’s dismal performance in front of goal, save for Szmodics, Rovers must make some major additions to their attacking lineup this summer. The fact that no other player reached double digits highlights their present issue.
It is undoubtedly something they must improve if they hope to move up the table the next season. Murphy was a transfer target that they were unable to get, but they will undoubtedly be keeping an eye on many other players who are comparable.
