FLW’s Portsmouth fan pundit pinpoints the club’s most high-value assets ahead of the summer transfer window
Portsmouth are now planning for life back in the Championship after clinching promotion last season.
Pompey earned the League One title in the process, with John Mousinho earning a lot of plaudits for his role in their return to the second division.
The south coast club have not competed at this level of English football since 2012, so will be looking to build a team capable of sustaining their place in the division long-term.
However, Portsmouth could also easily find themselves looking to hold onto key players this summer, if interest arrives in some of their promotion heroes.
Mousinho will be keen to ensure no major departures take place at Fratton Park, but it could be a long transfer ahead for the club.
Portsmouth fan pundit pinpoints three key transfer assets
FLW’s Portsmouth fan pundit Miltos Ionnidis believes that the likes of Colby Bishop, Paddy Lane and Regan Poole could all attract seven figure transfer fees.
Of the three Pompey stars, he has identified Bishop as the likeliest to command the highest possible fee, if any major sales are made this transfer window.
“It’s a tricky one actually, because even as of now there are a fair few players who could be considered as high value assets,” Ioannidis told Football League World.
“You really have to separate and say that ‘oh, this player would certainly command the highest transfer fee of them all’.
“But if I had to go with the roughest measure in the back of my head, I would certainly have gone for someone like Colby Bishop.
“I think he would definitely demand a pretty high transfer fee, in excess of well over £1 million, I would assume maybe around £2m, maybe even the £2.5m mark.
“I think that’s a fair estimation.
“I think Paddy Lane is certainly up there on the list, he’s also another player that demands a pretty significant transfer fee if any team wants to come and get him.
“And then also players like Regan Poole, I know he’s just done his ACL but he’s one of the biggest assets Portsmouth has right now and I’m sure this will become more evident next season.
“I think them three would certainly demand a pretty significant transfer fee.”
| Colby Bishop – Portsmouth league goals and appearances (per Fbref.com) | ||||
| Season | Appearances (Starts) | Goals (Assists) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 46 (45) | 20 (3) | ||
| 2023-24 | 44 (40) | 21 (3) | ||
Portsmouth’s Championship goal
Portsmouth will be hoping that they can fend off any potential interest in key players this summer and hold onto stars like Bishop and Lane.
Mousinho’s goal will be to maintain the team’s competitive edge and avoid any kind of relegation battle next season.
The club will be hoping to cement their place in the Championship, with a view to competing for promotion to the top flight in the long-term.
This summer will be a test of their immediate ambition, and keeping big stars will be as important to that as any arrivals at Fratton Park.
Portsmouth must hold onto high-value assets
If any offers do start coming in for key Portsmouth players this summer, then the club should be doing everything they can to hold onto them.
Promotion to the Championship should help convince players to stay, but you can never be certain until the window shuts.
Bishop and Lane were both instrumental to their League One title triumph, with Bishop coming second in the division’s top scorer charts with 21 goals (all stats from Fbref).
If Pompey are to be competitive in the Championship next year then keeping those two will be key.