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Portsmouth boss reveals why defender left Fratton Park - and why he may yet come back The full-back made 53 appearances after joining the Blues in June 2024, but is now at Blackpool John Mousinho believes Jordan Williams ‘deserves’ his Blackpool move in search of regular first-team football. But the Blues’ head coach admits it may not necessarily be the end of the 26-year-old’s Fratton Park career. Williams has joined the Tangerines on a season-long loan, taking him up to the end of his Pompey contract, which expires in the summer of 2027. However, according to Mousinho, the arrangement with the League One club includes a January recall option for the Blues. The right-back, who arrived on the south coast in June 2024 from Barnsley, has totalled 53 games and one goal for Pompey to date. Yet Mousinho will continue to monitor Williams’ progress with interest - and a recall clause at his disposal. ‘We wanted to be fair to him’ The head coach told The News: ‘Jordan came in at the back end of the season to play when Connor Ogilvie was suspended, then we had the injury to Terry (Devlin) at right-back. I thought Jordan did brilliantly well. ‘Previous to that he had a long, long spell when he wasn’t getting involved, he was on the bench for eight consecutive games without actually coming on. In fairness to Jordan, at his age he wanted to get out and play football more frequently. ‘We wanted to be fair to him, so we’ll see where he gets to in January. That’s probably a reflection of where we are and where we see the full-backs slotting in at the moment. ‘He didn’t knock on the door and demand to leave, Jordan is an excellent professional, and we spoke of this at the back end of last season. We said if there are opportunities you want to take in the summer then we’re not going to stand in your way. ‘He came back in pre-season, he performed well, he was fit, he was strong and is a very, very good professional. He’s got a move he deserved.’ 33 starts in two Fratton Park seasons Williams was involved in the Blues’ opening four pre-season friendlies, featuring at right-back or left-back, most recently at Wycombe. However, in either spot he is currently regarded as third choice and, with just 33 starts in two Fratton Park seasons, he was again facing being overlooked for selection. While Terry Devlin and Zak Swanson are ahead of Williams at right-back, Connor Ogilvie and Swanson are preferred at left-back. In addition, Mousinho has made no secret of the fact he wants to recruit another left-back. Until he began deputising for Ogilvie and then Devlin and Swanson during a flurry of appearances late in the 2025-26 season, Williams had started one game in four-and-a-half months. It was that ongoing starting XI absence which convinced the former Barnsley man to seek a fresh start this summer - with a return up North now secured for the Huddersfield-born defender. ‘We are always keeping an eye on that’ Mousinho added: ‘There are quite a lot of moves at football clubs with this scenario. Jordan has been here for a couple of years and done brilliantly well for us, so it’s nice to be able to facilitate. ‘He has been a big part of what we’ve done over the past couple of seasons, 53 appearances for a Championship club and he has never let the side down. ‘I’m sure he will kick on and have a very, very good loan. We are always keeping an eye on that, it’s something we are looking at, as we have a recall in January to see if we need it as well.’