View: Portsmouth fans will be delighted as Mousinho shares one-word Colby Bishop admission
Portsmouth have been handed a huge boost after what John Mousinho said about Colby Bishop.
Pompey are gearing up to make a return to the EFL Championship after their impressive EFL League One-title winning campaign last time out.
If they are to have any hope of competing in England’s second-tier they will need to keep hold of some of their more important players.
One of those players is Bishop, who finished last season as the club’s top scorer. And according to what his manager has had to say this week, it looks as if the club will be able to keep hold of the 27-year-old.
Portsmouth have been out in Croatia for a week-long training camp as they step up preparations for the 2024/25 campaign.
As that week draws to a close, Mousinho has been talking all things Pompey and provided an update on Bishop’s future during a live Facebook Q&A with The News (12 July).
When asked if Bishop was for sale, Mousinho’s one-word response was emphatic, with the Portsmouth boss simply replying “No”.
While this is a positive update, and it appears that Bishop is not for sale, things can always change quickly in football.
Therefore, supporters will be hopeful that the club stick to their transfer stance on the Englishman.
Portsmouth must keep hold of Colby Bishop ahead of 2024/25
After arriving at the club for £500,000, the striker scored 24 times during the 2022/23 season, before finding the back of the net 21 times last season.
He was an integral part of the team, registering 2.5 shots per 90 minutes as well as 0.8 key passes per 90 minutes in the league (via WhoScored).
Bishop was the club’s main goal threat, racking up an expected goals total of 27.87 across the entire League One season, amounting to 0.71 expected goals per 90 minutes.
While he did underperform his expected goals total by 6.87, Mousinho wouldn’t have been too concerned with Bishop’s goals firing Pompey to the title.
The forward’s importance to the team is emphasised by the fact that the club’s next top scorer, Paddy Lane, found the back of the net just 12 times in all competitions.
This is still a fantastic total for the 23-year-old winger, who also chipped in with seven assists and registered one key pass and 0.5 dribbles per 90 minutes in the league.
However, the club need an out-and-out goalscorer, which is what Bishop is.
As a result, Portsmouth must keep hold of him. Bishop has never played in the Championship before, and he will no doubt be just as excited as supporters at Fratton Park to go on this journey with the club.
In other Portsmouth news, Mousinho has a tough decision to make after one played at the club opened up about his Fratton Park future.
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