As many know, the African Cup of Nations has come around once again this coming January, and once again the cup will be a big strain on Pompey's squad.
Club captain Aaron Mokoena won't be travelling for the competition after South Africa failed to qualify, but Pompey will be losing the likes of Nwankwo Kanu and John Utaka to Nigeria, Hassan Yedba and Nadir Belhadj to Algeria, Aruna Dindane to Ivory Coast, and the possibility of Kevin-Prince Boateng to Ghana if he gets called up.
Although Boateng is German, he has dual citizenship, making him eligible for the competition if Ghana decided to call him up and Boateng accepts.
Portsmouth manager Paul Hart believes the backbone of the side will be travelling to Africa for the tournament and could miss some vital games ahead of the Blues' relegation scrap and could affect the January transfer window.
'I brought it to people’s notice a month ago, because it will take the spine out of the team and could be a difficult situation.
'I think Boateng wants to play for Ghana, so I couldn’t stand in his way.
'We have priorities for January if we do anything in the transfer market.
'But who is to say that January is a good time to buy players anyway? Historically it’s not.
'I’m not so sure it is the best time, so it is not as simple as just getting a load of money and splashing it.
'Who is going to let their best players go in January, so what do you actually end up getting?”
The competition runs from 10th-31st January and will mean players who progress further through the competition will miss home games against Birmingham City and West Ham, and away games against Manchester City and Fulham.
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