"Desperate" - Portsmouth FC urged to strike deal for "advanced forward" to challenge Colby Bishop | OneFootball

Our Pompey fan pundit wants to see the club sign a back-up to Colby Bishop this month

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

FLW's Portsmouth fan pundit has urged the club to sign a new striker as a back-up to main scorer Colby Bishop this month, due to the lack of depth in that position in John Mousinho's squad as it stands.

Pompey frontman Bishop has battled back from health issues to become Mousinho's go-to striker once again this season in the club's return to the Championship, yet his fellow frontmen have failed to provide much output when he has been absent so far.

Mousinho's side have notched a respectable 30 times in 24 league outings up to now, yet their highest scorer is versatile winger Callum Lang, with nine Championship goals to his name, while Bishop has bagged three times in just 10 appearances since his return to action in November.

Pompey fan pundit urges club to invest in striker addition this month

Other than Bishop, Portsmouth have fielded three other out-and-out strikers in all competitions this season - Kusini Yengi, Mark O'Mahony and Christian Saydee.

So far this term, Yengi is yet to score in eight appearances, Brighton loanee O'Mahony has bagged twice in nine appearances, and Saydee has scored twice in 22 outings, so it is clear that Mousinho lacks depth in that position, with the likes of Callum Lang, Sam Silvera and the since departed Elias Sorensen all also featuring as a centre-forward to try and provide new options.

As a result, FLW's Pompey fan pundit, Miltos Ioannidis, believes that the club need to sign a back-up to Bishop in the coming weeks, and in particular, one that provides a different profile to the 28-year-old with a quicker, more dynamic play-style.

“This will perhaps come as a surprise to some, considering that we are talking about a position that I feel we need to prioritise over others on the pitch, but I feel like we need a striker," Miltos told FLW.

“I honestly think that we are in desperate need of another striker.

“It’s simple, say that something bad happens to Colby Bishop, we currently have no other fit and ready to go strikers to fill that void.

“Colby Bishop is the only fit striker that we have got, and our reliance on him and the way that the whole team plays around him, I don’t even need to mention the stats, they are there for everyone to see.

“Ever since Colby came back, it’s no coincidence that we have started to pick up points and score goals for fun, especially at Fratton Park.

“He’s such an integral player to the way we want to play, and you really don’t want to risk getting out of this transfer window without reinforcing that position.

“Other than the obvious competition that a new player is going to add, which is always a healthy thing to have within a club, you are also ensuring that you’ve done your part in case something bad happens to Colby.

“You need a good player that can come into the side and replace him.

“I wouldn’t say we need to sign a player that is as good as him, as it is really hard to find one like that in January, and I wouldn’t say we do things on the cheap, but we are in a position right now where we can’t spend three or four million on a second striker.

“But certainly, do your part by signing another striker that is maybe a different profile to Bishop, a more direct, fast, dynamic forward.

“More of an advanced forward as well, you could say. I wouldn’t be against signing a poacher style of player that can also press as well.

“Colby Bishop is more of a complete forward, a player that can also go out of the penalty area, help retrieve the ball and has good link-up play.

“You want these qualities. I wouldn’t be against bringing in a player that is a similar profile to Bishop, but I think overall just the priority needs to be signing another striker.

“We really need to make sure that we remain a Championship club for next season. The backlash from fans if we don’t sign another striker, then something happens to Colby and we are at risk of being relegated, will be ginormous.

“Even though there are plenty of other positions that I feel like need reinforcing right now, I think some are underestimating that if something happens to Colby, we are kind of empty there.”

Ins and outs are expected in Portsmouth's strike-force this month

Pompey have been relatively busy in the transfer market since the turn of the year, with centre-back Rob Atkinson and midfielder Isaac Hayden each making the move to Fratton Park on loan from Bristol City and Newcastle United respectively.

With that said, there has been little movement in their strike-force as yet, but that is surely set to change given recent updates around both attacking incomings and outgoings in the weeks gone by.

Portsmouth do look more likely to sanction a departure from their forward line soon, rather than add to their attacking depth, after a recent update from transfer journalist Darren Witcoop revealed that out-of-favour forward Christian Saydee is attracting interest from League One clubs, but the 22-year-old will only leave Fratton Park if a replacement is found.

Who that replacement could be is currently unclear, but Pompey have been named as one of the Championship clubs chasing the signature of Australian youngster Thomas Waddingham, who has four goals in 11 A-League games for Brisbane Roar this season, with Roar head-coach Ruben Zadkovich admitting last week that the "rumours are true" surrounding his imminent exit to an overseas side.

Leeds United frontman Joe Gelhardt has also been the subject of persistent loan links to Fratton Park, but he is now set to complete a move to Hull City soon, so his potential capture can be chalked off, with a real lack of other concrete links to possible Pompey striker incomings so far this month.

It is clear that John Mousinho's side are in need of a new centre-forward this month, but for now, it looks as if they may have to wait until late in the window to bring in the player that they need.