Portsmouth to deal Wrexham & Bristol City transfer headache? They should make Barnsley move | OneFootball

Davis Keillor-Dunn has been prolific at League One level for a number of years, and Pompey should be looking at him in order to bolster their ranks.

Portsmouth could certainly do with another central striker in order to take the weight off Colby Bishop, and Barnsley's Davis Keillor-Dunn could be the ideal solution to Pompey's issues in front of goal.

Pompey have had a decent start to 2026, after a good festive period that banishes some scars of a troubled Autumn that had the Fratton Park faithful looking nervously over their shoulders.

And, following Wednesday night's draw at Watford, Pompey have now lost only once in their last seven league games, albeit that was a 5-0 hammering at Bristol City on New Year's Day.

A key part of the issue for Pompey is their struggles in front of goal. Colby Bishop has been a great signing since coming in from Accrington Stanley in the summer of 2022, but there have been many questions by supporters over the last 18 months whether he's good enough for Championship level. After all, he has only one goal in 24 second tier appearances so far this season.

Conor Chaplin has also struggled upon his return to Fratton Park on loan from Ipswich Town, having bagged no goals in 21 appearances in all competitions upon his return to PO4.

Davis Keillor-Dunn could well be Portsmouth's attacking answer

Many casual English football fans will most definitely recognise Keillor-Dunn from his excellent centre-forward performance at Anfield in the FA Cup Third Round, when he put in a strong display as Barnsley certainly caused Arne Slot's side a lot of problems on the counter-attack.

But to those who have followed League One over the last couple of years, this sort of performance from the man known as 'DKD' is no real surprise.

The 28-year-old has scored 11 goals in League One for Barnsley already this season, adding that to his tally of 20 goals across all competitions for both Mansfield Town and the Tykes last season.

This comes off an xG of 7.71 for the man who started his career in Scotland, which insinuates that he is more than capable of scoring from positions that aren't perhaps as favourable. Interestingly, just under half of his shots end up on target, whilst he has had 769 touches so far this season in the league.

That particular stat is hugely noteworthy, as it insinuates that he is integral to build-up play and link-ups. This is arguably one of Bishop's strengths to his game, and it means that Pompey wouldn't have to deviate too far from the style of play that they have preferred so far this season, just that Keillor-Dunn may well provide the threat of more goals.

He also ranks in the top percentile amongst League One strikers for successful passes, with 372, which tells you that the quality of the link-ups is strong and not just sloppy with misplaced passes.

It certainly looks like he is coming into the prime of his career, as he had a very prolific spell at Field Mill with the Stags, scoring 22 goals in their League Two promotion-winning season of 2023/24. He also got six goals and four assists when arriving from Burton Albion in the second half of the 2022/23 season.

And that has certainly put Championship clubs on red alert - with an FLW exclusive revealing that both Wrexham and Bristol City are already in the hunt for him, and the Robins could well step up their interest given the departure of Anis Mehmeti to divisional rivals Ipswich Town.

Naturally, given his age, it is unlikely that Keillor-Dunn will be seen as a long-term investment, but it could be a smart buy to bring in someone who is potentially going to come in and hit the ground running immediately, which is exactly what Pompey have already done with the signings of the likes of Ebou Adams and Millenic Alli.

Many January windows have gone by without much notable positive impact at Fratton Park over the last couple of years, but this one - arguably the most important of the Eisner family's ownership - has started in a really positive light.

Millenic Alli arrived to little fanfare given that it is a loan deal from League One side Luton Town, but he has hit the ground running and looks a certain threat on that left-hand side, while Ebou Adams has added the presence and strength to a Pompey midfield that was desperately lacking in that department - and Blues fans are starting to see why he was such a favourite at Pride Park.

Keshi Anderson also brings a wealth of Championship experience upon his arrival after leaving Birmingham City, and these signings all signify a desire by Sporting Director Richard Hughes to target signings who have experience in the English game, which Pompey have arguably not done enough of in the past couple of years.

Therefore, signing one of the top scorers in League One would potentially be a smart move just in order to add that little bit of competition for Bishop.