Manager Kieran McKenna says it was a busy and emotional last week of the transfer window with the Blues signing four players and seeing key men from the back-to-back promotion side, Luke Woolfenden and Conor Chaplin, moving on.

The Blues added Marcelino Nunez from Norwich, Ivan Azon on loan from Como, Darnell Furlong from West Brom and then Sindre Walle Egeli from FC Nordsjælland with only days remaining of the transfer window.

On deadline day itself, local boy Woolfenden departed for Coventry for £4 million and Conor Chaplin was a surprise loan exit back to Portsmouth where he started his career.

“It was a really busy and probably emotional weekend for lots of people in different ways,” McKenna said in an interview with TownTV alongside CEO and chairman Mark Ashton conducted by Blues legend Matt Holland

“We had Marcelino and Ivan and Sindre and Darnell all arrive some version of Friday, some late Thursday night or Friday morning, but Friday was the first time we got to see them.

“There’s that mixture that you’re really excited and happy to have them, we’ve had to wait a little while for a few, but also you know there’s a big game on Saturday [against Derby] and the focus has to be there, and you’re not really going to get the impact from those boys until after the international break and further down the line.

“There was that on Friday and then you have the game at the weekend and two players who have been a big, big part of it for different reasons over the last couple years leaving.

“In Luke’s case, everyone knows what a big part of the club he’s been. We’ve known all summer that he expressed in the off-season that he wanted to move on to a different challenge this summer.

“And in those situations, as there have been in some other cases over the summer, players in similar boats, you don’t want to lose them, you want to keep them, they’ve been a really important part of what we’ve done and they would have made us stronger this year in terms of being in the group, but also it’s a player’s career and you want to try and respect their wishes, and especially players who have done so much for us.

“If they have a wish to be somewhere else, in the end, if it can be done, you don’t want to stand in the way. And also for the group, I’ve said all along, we really needed a group come the end of the window of boys who 100 per cent want to be here and you don’t want anyone to be stuck here for the wrong reason.

“Conor as well, for all of us, he’s one of the best people I’ve ever had the pleasure of coaching and meeting, one of the best people you could ever meet.

“He’s been an amazing player, he’s still a fantastic player and someone who I hold in the highest, highest, highest regard.

“Over the weekend - and me and Conor had spoken all summer because he’s someone you can really have an honest man-to-man conversation with and there’s mutual respect - had had different conversations about his future and what the best thing for him would be as against what we need from him this year.

“He’s had the opportunity that he brought to us over the weekend to go back to his hometown club on a loan with a break clause [in January] to get regular minutes.

“He’s a player who didn’t make a lot of starts last year, missed a few months at the back end of last year. When players are at that stage of their career, if you don’t make as many starts for a couple of seasons, it’s not always a great thing.

“So, me and him spoke about those things a lot. He had a brilliant opportunity in terms of his personal life, his experience, his career to go and play regularly at Portsmouth at a club that he also has an affinity for and accumulate and rack-up those regular starts. With Conor, that will hopefully end up meaning regular goals for him as well.

“That was a difficult one because you know you’re losing an unbelievable person from the dressing room, someone who would have helped us this year, but I think when it’s a player whose own desire and feels what’s best for his career [is to move on], I think it’s right that it has to be understood and listened to and in the end it’s a move that I think is a great experience and opportunity for him.

“He hopes, we hope, the door’s still very much open here and we haven’t seen the last of him, but a great chance for him to go and play games at a really, really important stage of his career, to hopefully start every week.

“We know that’s a loss for the club, for the dressing room, but it’s also what Conor felt was right for him at the moment and if anyone deserves to have that respect, to be listened to in that way and supported, it’s him.

“He’s got Southampton next weekend first game, I hope he goes and bags the winner against them! We’ll keep in good contact over the next few months, we’ll be watching his games. I’m glad he can’t play and score against us.

“I’m sure, hopefully, he can do it against some other teams and we’ll see what the future brings.

“It was a really, really busy last few days and I think we’re all glad to see the window shut, to be able to regroup and then crack on. Some big players out, some new players in, who have got the future ahead of them now and we look forward to having the group back and cracking on from next week.”

In addition to Chaplin and Woolfenden, skipper Sam Morsy, Cameron Burgess, Axel Tuanzebe, Liam Delap, Omari Hutchinson and Nathan Broadhead all moved on with Massimo Luongo released at the end of last season.

McKenna admits that more departed than had been anticipated: “I think you can look at the numbers, 14, you can probably trim a few off of that with lads who were out of contract, on loan and things like that, so it’s never quite as big as the total.

“I think we had a number in our head, that we’d probably have some many in, so many out.

“We’re a few over that for sure in terms of the outs and the ins, and there’s different reasons and different circumstances behind that.

“You can’t categorise them all in the same bracket. You can’t put all the players together on why certain players have left and certain players have arrived, it’s different situations.

“I think in general as a club we’ve always tried to conduct ourselves right and find the right balance between what’s going to be right for the squad and what’s going to be right for the team this year to try and be successful and also respecting individual players’ careers, trajectories, pathways, what’s right for them and their futures as well.

“There’s no doubt, there’s been a lot of moving parts in that in the summer, that’s obviously been one of the challenges - that we’ve lost some top, top characters from the building that have had huge success at the football club.

“And that’s been difficult for the summer for everyone involved because of the emotional attachment there, there’s no getting away from that.

“But we’ve also brought some really good players to the football club and some really good people.

“Some of those players have had one or two games, some haven’t even got on the pitch yet. There’s a really bright future for some of those boys, I believe.

“There’s the potential to have a really bright future for the team and that’s what’s ahead of us now. That’s what we have to work towards.

“For sure, there’s been a lot of change both ways. Some situations beyond what could have been predicted but there’s a really good group there now, a really good squad, some really good players and people have come into the squad.

“And now it’s about us, as a manager, as staff, as supporters, as everybody to get right behind those players, push those players to get the very best out of them and make sure that we can try build another great team and those players can push on and have great times and great careers at the club.”

Photo: TownTV

poet added 21:16 - Sep 5 Frank and honest stuff from Kieran McKenna. It’s a tough job, emotionally and tactically. In my opinion, he’s done a terrific job in keeping this squad competitive. Yes we’ve started poorly, which is hardly surprising considering the number of players he’s had to bring in, but anyone who thinks he hasn’t cobbled together a very good squad, should take up watching a different sport.

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OliveR16 added 21:21 - Sep 5 When you compare this interview with the nonsense going on at clubs like Wednesday you have to be grateful. I do think the disappointment that so many of the old guard wanted to leave came across quite clearly. There can't be many in football who put their club above their own interestd even for one season.
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Broadbent23 added 21:51 - Sep 5 Cannot fault what was said. There was no mention of the club owners. Therefore MA and KMc can control the club within their jurisdiction. Although no wins at home in 2025 yet. It appears there is a time period to rebuilding the team. Because of the current club structure the time period will be less than the six months KMc utilised in League one. The current squad have a good pedigree, therefore results should improve greatly by October. Hopefully a great win against that team up the road. Believe in the process.

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dusth added 21:54 - Sep 5 I like it. Connor being sent out as a missile to destroy other rivals.
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ArnieM added 22:42 - Sep 5 McKenna has clear respect for one of the players leaving this Club, and rightly so. He's an exceptional player at this level, and an honest and dedicated person on and off the pitch. Pompey are very lucky to get this player back on loan. Sink the budgies Conor!
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