Portsmouth: Colby Bishop transfer claim issued as Sheffield Wednesday interest emerges | OneFootball

Portsmouth are keen to bolster their attacking options, which could affect Colby Bishop's future at Fratton Park

Portsmouth are vying to have a successful summer transfer window as they look to enjoy a more comfortable Championship season next term.

Pompey have retained their second-tier status in both of the last two campaigns, but boss John Mousinho wants to guide his side further up the table.

Mousinho's men were handed their fixture list on Thursday, and know that they face West Ham United in the EFL Cup before hosting Queens Park Rangers in their opening Championship game.

Portsmouth can step up their preparations for next season now that they know their schedule, and supporters will be particularly excited about the clashes with South Coast rivals Southampton.

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Pompey can only progress in the Championship if they recruit well in the transfer market this summer.

With that in mind, according to The News, Mousinho's side have opened negotiations with Spanish second-tier club Almeria over striker Marko Milovanovic, also known as Marezi.

Portsmouth's frontline has been led by Colby Bishop since the 2022/23 season, and the former Accrington Stanley man was more clinical in League One than he has been in the Championship.

Football League World asked our Pompey fan pundit, Miltos Ioannidis, if he thinks landing a move for Marezi or another striker is going to start the end of Bishop's time at Fratton Park, with Sheffield Wednesday now reportedly having Portsmouth's number nine

Ioannidis told FLW: "I have been Bishop's biggest fan from the beginning, and I believe that he offers a lot more to the side than just the goals that he scores whenever he does score.

"I believe that we should absolutely keep him at the club. That being said, however, there needs to be a competition up front. I believe that it was a similar case last season.

"We didn't get the appropriate competition up front that I also believe at the time we should have got. I think now we're all seeing the urgency and the need, the requirement for us to spend big and spend wisely on that attacking position.

"I think that Marezi looks like a promising striker. Obviously, he's already following Pompey on Instagram, so that should imply that things are progressing well with him.

"From the highlights that I've seen, he looks like a real prospect with bags of potential. Obviously, he's really tall, really strong. Looks to be good with the ball, he's big as well.

"But for Colby Bishop, during the whole situation, for the long-term, Bishop is not realistically a striker that fires you to promotion. Let's be absolutely certain with that.

"Quite frankly, though, I'd do everything to make sure Bishop sticks around with the team for as long as he provides us with the dynamic that he's so capable of providing us with.

"He has great ability to hold up play, link play between the lines and just his all-round play, which I think even last season, when the goals weren't flowing, certainly Bishop wasn't at his best in terms of his goalscoring record. We, in most cases, looked a better side with him in the side than without him in it.

"So that probably tells you everything you need to know about the importance of us going in the transfer market and investing in a striker that will hopefully elevate the team and provide some competition for Colby Bishop."

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Marezi has been given relatively little game time for Almeria since becoming a senior player, but he is still just 22 years old and has plenty of potential, as Ioannidis alluded to.

He spent last season on loan with Portuguese top-flight club Alverca, scoring 10 goals and producing two assists in 32 appearances across all competitions.

The former Partizan Belgrade man could prove to be an asset for Portsmouth next season if he signs a contract at Fratton Park and adjusts to the Championship well, and if the investment is made on his services, that is likely going to push Bishop into being a backup.

Considering the ex-Accrington man only scored three Championship goals last season, it is somewhat to be expected that he'll have to take a back seat role at Fratton Park, and could that mean a potential move to Sheffield Wednesday becomes more tempting? Only time will tell.