Portsmouth target Premier League as Rich Hughes reveals loan ambition

Pompey are in talks with Premier League clubs as they eye loan additions to boost their squad. Although, according to Rich Hughes, it is with a view to ‘supplementing’ playing numbers - rather than a return to relying on loan recruits. Odin Bailey and Eoin Kenny have so far arrived at Fratton Park this summer, although deals for Rocco Shein and Marko Milovanovic are also expected as their sporting director targets another ‘5-6’ signings. The Blues totalled seven loanees last term, including Minhyeok Yang (Spurs) and Aji Alese (Sunderland) from the Premier League, with mixed success. And Hughes has admitted ‘a couple’ of top-flight players again occupy their sights this summer as recruitment ramps up. He told The News: ‘We’re looking at loan players to supplement the group. ‘Probably when I came in there was a heavy reliance on it, but we have since used it to supplement and we had to do that again in January to plug some short-term gaps. ‘I would expect a couple of players to come in on loan, we are trying to solve some problems with permanent deals and then we can affect it as we progress forward with the loans. ‘There are a couple of Premier League players we've had some conversations on. We are looking at that, maybe there’s an opportunity for someone to come from league to league as well. ‘But there are some we are looking at from Premier League clubs at the minute to try to add to the group.’ It’s a damning reflection of Pompey’s loan business last season that they didn’t attempt to bring any of the seven back to Fratton Park this summer. In the cases of Conor Chaplin and Jacob Brown, they were available on free transfers, while the Blues opted against taking up a transfer option on Gustavo Caballero. Yang was recalled by Spurs in January and instead sent out to Coventry, where he totalled just 29 minutes of Championship football, why Alese’s Fratton Park stay ended after four minutes of first-team action through injury. Get access to trustworthy local news for just £5 - sign up for a digital subscription to The News Florian Bianchini’s south-coast stint proved to be a disaster and he didn’t play again after November, primarily through injury problems, although he remained on Pompey’s books until the season’s end. Finally, January recruit Alli featured 21 times and scored once, establishing himself as a regular on the left wing during the second half of the season. Although he played a key role in the Blues’ Championship survival, his form plummeted alarmingly after a fine start and he won’t be returning to Fratton Park. Hughes added: ‘I am sure people are fed up of me saying these types of things, but there is a knock-on effect at the minute. ‘Some Premier League clubs will be back or training, a lot of their players are either at the World Cup, been at the World Cup, and the best under-21s players or fringe players are training with first-teams to make numbers, which does have a knock-on effect. ‘It’s an annoyance, but it’s also a factor in the footballing pyramid, especially in tournament years as well.’ Your Next Pompey Read: 'A different sphere': Buoyant Rich Hughes on why Portsmouth can now aim higher in transfer market