'Unfortunate' - Portsmouth figure hits out at social media criticism over Sunderland transfer
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Portsmouth chief Andy Cullen has hit out at social media criticism regarding the loan signing of Sunderland midfielder Adi Aouchiche during the winter window.
The proposed loan deal for the Sunderland attacker received intense scrutiny on Friday after reports from France on social media that the deal had been “completely blocked,” which sparked some annoyance from Portsmouth fans.
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Hide AdThe issue centred around work permit regulations per Home Office Governing Body Endorsement rules (GBE), with Aouchiche not meeting the criteria. However, Pompey figure Cullen insisted that he and his staff were aware of the rule and had the situation under control.
Cullen told our sister title on Portsmouth, The News: “It’s a problem when you have transfers played out on social media, all sorts of innuendo is discussed and placed, perhaps through a lack of clarity and understanding on new rules which have come in.
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“We were absolutely fine with the situation. It’s about understanding the rules and being absolutely sure of it. We interpreted the rules and are very, very confident in that interpretation, as are other cubs which are doing it alongside Pompey.
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Hide Ad“What I do feel strongly about is professional, hard-working members of staff being taken to task on social media. That is the nature of the beast, it’s unfortunate and that’s why we don’t comment on any transfer until it is completed.
“There’s a whole myriad of rules and regulations when it comes to the registration of players - and we have professional people dealing with it. Over the window, there were a number of Championship clubs going through the same process as us last week. We weren’t alone.”
Aouchiche, 22, has struggled for regular minutes on Wearside this season, and Sunderland’s sporting director said his future at the club would be reviewed in the summer. No purchase clause is included in the deal, which runs until the end of the season.
“Adil has worked hard and played his part when called upon, and been a good team-mate, but competition within our squad is extremely high and his opportunities have been limited as a result,” Sunderland’s sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said after the move had gone through.
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Hide Ad“Naturally, he would like to play more regularly, and we believe this opportunity will enable him to do that in a competitive environment that will support his development. We wish him well and look forward to reviewing his progress at the end of the campaign.”
Portsmouth boss John Mousinho said: “We’re delighted to welcome Adil to Fratton Park for the remainder of the campaign. We already saw first-hand just how dangerous he can be when we played Sunderland a few weeks ago. He’s an incredibly talented young player who will complement the attacking options we already have in the squad.”
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