Former Portsmouth defender Joe Rafferty has admitted he disagreed with basically everything John Mousinho said during talks before his Fratton Park exit.
The Liverpudlian, along with Sean Raggett, were the two notable departures upon the end of the Blues’ League One title-winning campaign.
Rafferty spent two years at Fratton Park after being signed by Danny Cowley and has now opened up on his exit from PO4.
Joe Rafferty lifts lid on John Mousinho talks
Speaking to BBC Sport’s Andrew Moon, Rafferty admitted that he disagreed with the reasoning behind his exit.
“It was bad, and it was good,” he said.
“He explained what he wanted going forward. Ultimately, that wasn’t me. I disagreed with basically every way he put forward to me. I didn’t agree. It wasn’t an argument. It was a manager and player having a really good discussion about what he’s seeing going forward.
“I totally disagreed. I felt like I was the right person for the job for next season in the role. He explained it was something slightly different he wanted in terms of football and the way I play the game. We shook hands and moved on.
“My expectation was to expect the worst. It was a disappointment, a bit of a shock.”
Portsmouth must build Championship squad this summer
Unfortunately for Rafferty, Pompey must build a Championship squad this summer and look to the future.
A player of his age and ability could perform in the second tier, but questions would remain about his long-term future.
Pompey need to upgrade large parts of the squad, therefore, allowing some high-profile exits to take place was always on the cards.
Speaking on Rafferty’s departure, Mousinho has backed Pompey’s former right-back to quickly find a new club.
He said: “It’s a tough one with Joe, a really sad one. He deserves a contract, and we’re sure he will go and get a good contract with another football club somewhere else, which will set him up for the back end of his career.”