Portsmouth must consider move for out-of-favour Nottingham Forest winger amid Callum Lang blow | OneFootball

Josh Bowler has recently been playing for Nottingham Forest's Under-21s and looks almost certain to leave the club this summer.

Portsmouth are looking for fresh additions ahead of next Monday's transfer deadline, and one area of the pitch manager John Mousinho is likely to be targeting is a new winger.

Mousinho will be incredibly frustrated that, after just three games, he cannot call upon wingers Harvey Blair and Callum Lang due to injuries, whilst Matt Ritchie is on his way out of Fratton Park.

Having defeated Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium on the opening day, Portsmouth have yet to taste victory since, losing at home to Reading 2-1 in the League Cup and Norwich City in the league 2-1, although their last result was a credible 1-1 draw away at West Brom.

Pompey do have wide options - Florian Bianchini, Josh Murphy and Min-Hyeok Yang are all available to Mousinho, but Bianchini and Yang - who are on loan from Swansea City and Tottenham respectively - have limited Championship experience.

With Murphy, Lang, Bianchini and Yang all right-footed attackers, there's a lack of left-footed balance in Mousinho's wide options, which is why a move for Josh Bowler - currently at Nottingham Forest - needs to be considered.

Josh Bowler could be a smart addition for Portsmouth amid injury woes

Bowler, now 26 years old, struggled to play consistent minutes last season in loan spells with either Preston North End or Luton Town.

The Forest winger made the move to the City Ground in the summer of 2022 for £4 million from Blackpool, but has yet to make a single senior appearance for the club during his three years there.

The Englishman was immediately sent out on loan to Evangelos Marinakis' other owned side - Greek giants Olympiakos - where, after just four months, he was recalled after just seven appearances for the club in all competitions.

Bowler has since had four separate loan spells in the Championship with Blackpool, Cardiff City, Preston and Luton - each of which he struggled to make a meaningful impact, and he was part of a relegated Hatters side in 2024-25.

Able to play on either wing, but at his best when able to cut in off of the right onto his left foot, Bowler would be a smart addition to a Pompey side which is desperately crying out for some attacking talent, and at just 26, there is still time for him to prove what he is capable of.

Josh Bowler would add ample Championship experience to the Portsmouth squad

Despite his age, Bowler has played 152 times, scoring 17 goals and assisting eight times across five different clubs in the second tier.

Bowler has never really settled in one place for too long, which has no doubt affected his output, playing under numerous managers at numerous clubs, lacking any sort of consistency.

If he can settle somewhere for a prolonged period of time, we may still see the best of Bowler and what he is capable of on his day.

With one year remaining on his deal with Forest, it's unlikely that the club will be able to command any sort of significant fee for Bowler, and may even be willing to let him depart for free.

The key stumbling block any team would face in signing him is his estimated £20,000 per week wages, which he is currently earning at the City Ground.

Portsmouth would likely be unwilling to come anywhere close to those wage demands, so Bowler would likely have to take a pay cut if he were to leave the club permanently this summer.

A loan deal until the end of his contract would also be a viable option, though it remains unknown what Forest's stance on the matter would exactly be.

However, Bowler would be an exceptional addition for Pompey if they could pull it off, adding some much-needed quality, experience and depth to a key area of the pitch.