Portsmouth boss John Mousinho has spoken about Oxford United winger Josh Murphy, who is attracting transfer interest from several Championship clubs.
Oxford forward Murphy, who was the hero for the U’s in their League One play-off triumph over Bolton Wanderers, is attracting interest from several clubs in the Championship.
According to The News, Portsmouth, Derby County, Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion and Queens Park Rangers are all chasing the 29-year-old, who is out of contract this summer.
|
Josh Murphy’s Championship record; according to Transfermarkt |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Club |
Appearances |
Goals |
Assists |
|
Norwich City |
81 |
12 |
9 |
|
Wigan Athletic |
5 |
0 |
0 |
|
MK Dons |
42 |
5 |
9 |
|
Cardiff City |
59 |
7 |
8 |
|
Preston North End |
12 |
0 |
0 |
Oxford are also keen on agreeing fresh terms with the winger, who arrived at the Kassam Stadium on a free transfer after leaving Cardiff City in 2022, as they prepare for their first second tier campaign in 25 years.
Murphy scored both goals as Oxford beat Bolton 2-0 in the play-off final at Wembley in May.
Josh Murphy has options this summer
Murphy, who is the twin brother of Newcastle United’s Jacob, is not short of options ahead of the 2024/25 season.
He scored 10 goals and provided six assists in 38 appearances in all competitions for the U’s this season. Back in 2018, Neil Warnock brought him to Cardiff from Norwich City for £11m as he prepared his Bluebirds squad for the Premier League.
The two-year deal that he penned with Oxford when he joined the club is set to expire this summer, which has alerted the attention of several potential suitors.
The Oxford Mail reported in the aftermath of the play-off final victory that Murphy’s Dad believed his son was happy to stay at Oxford:
“He is obviously an Oxford player as we speak, and he would love to stay, genuinely would love to stay. Football is a funny game and a lot of things come into play. He was on a two-year contract, he has completed his two-year contract and would love another contract with Oxford. But finances and with football being football, who knows what will happen? I am sure there will be a conversation over the next few days about whether he can stay, but I know that would definitely be his preference.”
There has been plenty of speculation regarding Murphy’s future since his father made those comments, and as time goes on, that speculation will only intensify.
Portsmouth boss Mousinho speaks on Josh Murphy
Portsmouth are one of the clubs who are interested in signing Murphy when his Oxford contract runs out.
Pompey boss Mousinho, who played with Murphy during their time together at Oxford prior to his move to the Fratton Park dugout, has spoken to The News about his former teammate:
“The truth on that is I know Josh, and he’s a fantastic player. He had a really good back end to the season but for those kind of players, whether there’s interest or not, we want to keep everything respectful of the players, other clubs and everything else going on. There is links with Josh because I played for him previously, but whether we’ve got any interest or not it’s something we have to leave alone and not really comment on.”
The 38-year-old seemingly wants to keep his cards close to his chest, as rumours persist that he is interested in bringing Murphy to Fratton Park next season.
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The young midfielder starred for Pompey last season before picking up a season-ending hamstring injury in January.