7 top foreign strikers Portsmouth should consider buying during transfer window to solve goalscoring problems
Pompey desperately need to improve their goalscoring ranks in the summer - and Europe could prove a fertile hunting ground for the Blues
Pompey’s need for extra firepower next season is well documented.
The Blues finished the 2025-26 campaign as the Championship’s sixth lowest scorers, with 49 goals recorded from their 46 league games.
And with main striker Colby Bishop netting just four goals in all competitions, it’s clear improvements are a must if the Fratton Park side are to avoid another relegation battle when the new season kicks off in August.
Links with Lorient striker Bamba Dieng and Plymouth Argyle forward Bim Pepple have emerged in recent weeks, with The News understanding that the latter is someone Pompey have monitoed on numerous occasions.
It’s also our understanding that the Blues are also scouring foreign markets in an attempt to find a frontman who can help take them to the next level.
But who could possibly come under their radar?
Well, we’ve taken a deep dive into what Europe could offer the Blues, taking into consideration markets Pompey have a history of keeping an eye on, a price bracket of between £2m-£3m that the club could potentially spend, strikers who fit easily into their player-trading model, and, of course, forwards with a decent goalscoring record.
It hasn’t been easy, but here’s seven names that ticket the above boxes...
Isac Lidberg (Darmstadt 98)
Age: 27
Contract expires: June 2027
Goalcoring record: Lidberg scored 17 goals in 30 2. Bundesliga games last season as he helped Darmstadt finish fifth in the 2025-26 standings. Since moving to the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor from Utecht in 2024, the Sweden international has scored 32 goals in all competitions.
Transfer value: €4.7m (flashscore.co.uk)
Profile: Lidberg proved a powerhouse for Darmstadt last season. At 27 years of age, he is entering his absolute peak footballing years, and is a robust, physically imposing focal point who relishes battling centre-backs.
Daniel Karlsbakk (Sarpsborg 08)
Age: 23.
Contract expires: December 2028
Goalscoring record: Karlsbakk currently has three goals in 11 appearances for Sarpsborg in the 2026 Eliteserien. That’s after he finished the 2025 season with 21 goals from 33 games in all competitions.
Transfer value: €4.1m (flashscore.co.uk)
Profile: The 6”2” striker boasts the physique needed to handle the brutal and physical demands of the Championship, explosive pace, and a relentless work rate. Those attributes and his scoring record have already contributed to both Middlesbrough and Sheffied United being linked with the Norwegian.
Kaj Sierhuis (Fortuna Sittard)
Age: 28
Contract expires: June 2026
Goalscoring record: The former Netherlands under-21 international scored 12 goals in 30 Eredivisie appearances for Sittard last season, with his tally taking him above Burnley’s Zian Flemming as the club’s top scorer in the Dutch top flight this centrury. Since moving to Sittard from Reims in 2023, Sierhuis has scored 29 goals in 79 appearances.
Transfer value: €1.7m (flashscore.co.uk)
Profile: Sierhuis is a reliable, highly-experienced penalty-box predator who possesses impressive positional intelligence, excellent hold-up link play, and clinical one-touch finishing.
Mikkel Ladefoged (Vasteras SK)
Age: 22
Contract expires: December 2028
Goalscoring record: The young Denmark striker currently has seven goals from his 10 appearances in the Swedish top flight for Vasteras. This year is the former Esbjerg striker’s second season in the Allsvenskan, with Ladefoged netting 10 goals in 15 appearances last term.
Transfer value: €461k (flashscore.co.uk)
Profile: A breakout star in Sweden, Ladefoged is a dynamic, modern centre-forward who relies on clever blindside runs and high-intensity pressing rather than just physical stature.
Tawanda Maswanhise (Motherwell)
Age: 23
Contract expires: June 2027
Goalscoring record: The Zimbabwe international scored 17 league goals in 35 appearances as Motherwell finished the 2025-26 season fourth in the Scottish Premiership. That saw the former Leicester youth-team product win the division’s golden boot award, with a further five goals in cup competitions taking his goal tally to the season to 22.
Transfer value: €4.8m (flashscore.co.uk)
Profile: Maswanhise provides immense tactical versatility as he can play as a traditional No9 or drift wide right to create overloads. With a proven track record of finding the back of the net in a physical British league, that’s an immediate reassurance for any Championship side.
Elias Havel (TSV Hartberg)
Age: 23
Contract expires: June 2027
Goalscoring record: The former Austria under-21 international bagged 16 goals in 33 appearances for Austria Bundesliga side Hartberg while on loan from Nicolas Schmid’s former side LASK Linz, taking his goal tally for the past two seasons to 22.
Transfer value: €2.1m (flashscore.co.uk)
Profile: Havel took the Austria top flight by storm last season with 13 of his 16 goals coming from open play. A product of the highly prestigious Red Bull Salzburg youth system, he’s a player that leads from the front, both offensively and defensively. The 23-year-old, who has German duo Schalke and FC Koln among his admirers, possesses raw pace that Pompey desperately lacked in central areas last season.
Thom Van Bergen (Groningen)
Age: 23
Contract expires: June 2026
Goalscoring record: The Netherlands under-21 international notched 10 goals in all competitions last season, with his nine in the Eredivisie helping Groningen finish ninth.
Transfer value: €2.9m (flashscore.co.uk)
Profile: With goals against Ajax and Feyenoord last term., Van Bergen is a modern, high-pressing striker who matches technical Dutch football education with a tireless work rate.
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