'One that comes to a head' - Verdict shared on Portsmouth striker Colby Bishop amid impending multi-million-pound Fratton Park arrival and Sheffield Wednesday links
Colby Bishop’s starting place at Pompey will come under threat at Fratton Park this summer, despite scoring 60 goals in 175 appearances for the club.
A ‘grown-up conversation’ towards the tail end of the transfer window will likely determine Colby Bishop’s Pompey future.
That’s the honest verdict of The News’ Jordan Cross, who believes talks between the striker and the club are inevitable as the Blues’ well-publicised efforts to bolster their attacking prowess with a new front-line centre-forward during the transfer window continues.
That process has already led them to UD Almeria frontman Marko Milovanovic, who is closing in on a multi-million-pound move to Fratton Park.
And while it will be Pompey’s intention to go into the new season with two leading strikers who are capable of improving the side’s competitive edge, questions remain how the dynamics of that will pan out.
Bishop, after all, has been the Blues’ main man up front since moving to Fratton Park from Accrington in the summer of 2022. In that time, the 29-year-old has bagged 60 goals in 175 appearances and has topped the club’s scoring charts in three of his four seasons on the south coast.
Three goals from 42 Championship appearances last season brought scrutiny on Bishop’s Championship capabilities, however, with attacking midfielder Adrian Segecic claiming the Fratton Park golden boot with 11 goals.
It also hastened the need for Pompey to look for reinforcements who could improve their threat in front of goal on a consistent basis.
Amid that search, head coach John Mousinho has stated Bishop still has a future at PO4, that he wants him to remain and compete for a place in his new-look attack.
That stance emerged after the centre-forward was linked with a move to League One Sheffield Wednesday.
And while The News understands Pompey’s position on Bishop, who has two years remaining on his PO4 contract, has not changed, Cross believes it doesn’t guarantee the striker remaining beyond the close of the transfer window.
‘They're grown men, and there's respect, reciprocal respect.
The award-winning Pompey writer explained his thinking in the latest episode of Pompey Talk, which is available to watch for free on Youtube.
He believes how Bishop copes with being potentially second-choice behind Milovanovic could determine whether he stays or goes.
‘Pompey will have two front-line strikers next season, and everything points to one of them being Marezi (Milovanovic),’ said Cross.
‘Pompey will have a second one. At the moment it's Colby Bishop, with John Mousinho publicly on the record saying all the right things about Colby, that he's not looking to move him on, he wants to get him back to the form that he showed in the Championship in his first season at the level, which dropped off last season.
‘So, it's really about how all parties see it. And I'm sure it would be something that would come down to a grown-up discussion for someone of Colby's status, how much he's appreciated by John.
‘They're grown men, and there's respect, reciprocal respect.
‘There is interest from Sheffield Wednesday. There probably would be interest from elsewhere.
‘It's how things look for Colby as well, because he's been, in his time at Pompey, the main man up front. He's been unchallenged as the front-line number nine. Now, that's not going to continue.
‘So, as Colby comes to, what 29-30 now, it's how does he see it? He might also, in terms of opportunities, consider how many more big moves is he going to get in his career? Throw that into the melting pot!
‘So, I think there will be space for an adult conversation with John and Colby moving later on into the window, when Marezi’s through the door and maybe others pop up as well, about how Colby sees things, how Pompey sees things for Colby.
‘I don't think it can be defined at the moment how that finishes up. I just think that there is a lot of moving parts in that one, and that will be one that comes to the head, probably at the latter part of the window.’