Portsmouth goalkeeper in transfer window demand as Blues assess options after Josef Bursik blow
The 21-year-old made 45 appearances for Scottish Championship title-winning St Johnstone last season
Pompey are weighing up another loan destination for Toby Steward - despite injury concerns over Josef Bursik.
Following the overwhelming success of the goalkeeper’s St Johnstone stay last term, a return to Scotland remains an option.
According to The Courier, the 21-year-old is ‘set to’ reunite with the club he led back to the Scottish Premiership, earning plenty of individual accolades in the process.
However, the Blues have also been approached by English League One and League Two clubs for Steward’s services in the 2026-27 season, offering the pathway of Football League development.
Pompey would only entertain a number one spot for the highly-regarded youngster, who has flourished with regular football from previous loans with Bognor, Gosport, Tonbridge Angels and Wealdstone.
To date, though, an emergency loan stay at Crawley in April 2025, consisting of four matches, represents his only Football League involvement. Additionally, he has still to feature competitively for Pompey.
John Mousinho is well covered for goalkeepers, with Nicolas Schmid, Ben Killip and Bursik also on his goalkeeping books at present, although the latter is set to miss the start of the season.
Stoke heartbreak for Bursik
Bursik damaged his calf while taking a goal kick in the opening four minutes of April’s trip to Stoke in the penultimate match of the Championship season.
It was agonising for the 25-year-old, who was marking a first start since November 2025 - and at the bet365 Stadium home of the club where he started his Football League career.
In Monday’s return to pre-season, Bursik worked away from Pompey’s goalkeeping group, continuing his rehabilitation by running laps of the pitches at the Copnor Road training ground base.
Instead Steward, Schmid and Killip were put through their paces by coach Joe Prodomo, with an unnamed fourth keeper boosting numbers to four.
Scottish Championship glory
Steward made 45 appearances for St Johnstone last season as they romped to the Scottish Championship title by 11 clear points.
According to The Courier, a return to McDiarmid Park this season would appeal to the youngster, who has again set his sights on regular first-team football once more.
Yet alternatives are on the table for Pompey to consider as they agonise over the next stage of the Academy graduate’s exciting development.
In the meantime, Steward is expected to attend the Blues’ forthcoming pre-season training camp, which begins on Sunday at a destination being kept under wraps.
Having last summer finalised a season-long loan at St Johnstone, the former Henry Cort School pupil didn’t accompany Mousinho’s squad to the X-Bionic Sphere in Samorin, Slovakia.
Instead, Schmid, Killip, Jordan Archer and triallist Stuart Moore were the four goalkeepers involved in the week-long stay.
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