Portsmouth are hoping for a fruitful summer transfer window as they look forward to a more comfortable Championship season next season.

Pompey have remained in the second division for the past two seasons, but manager John Mousinho wants to push his team further up the ladder.

Mousinho’s side received their fixture list on Thursday and know they will face West Ham United in the EFL Cup before visiting Queens Park Rangers in their first Championship game.

Portsmouth can ramp up their preparations for next season now that they know their calendar, and fans will be especially enthused about the games against South Coast rivals Southampton.

Portsmouth told to retain Colby Bishop as they close in on a deal for a new striker.

Pompey can only progress to the Championship if they do well in the transfer market this summer.

With that in mind, according to The News, Mousinho’s team has begun talks with Spanish second-tier club Almeria about attacker Marko Milovanovic, also known as Marezi.

Colby Bishop has commanded Portsmouth’s frontline since the 2022/23 season, and the former Accrington Stanley player was more clinical in League One than he has in the Championship.

asked our Pompey fan pundit, Miltos Ioannidis, if he believes landing a deal for Marezi or another striker will start the end of Bishop’s tenure at Fratton Park, with Sheffield Wednesday now apparently possessing Portsmouth’s number nine.

Ioannidis said to FLW: “I have been Bishop’s biggest fan from the beginning, and I believe that he offers a lot more to the side than just the goals that he scores whenever he does score.”I believe we should definitely keep him at the club. That being said, there must be some competitiveness up front.

I assume it was a similar issue last season.”We did not receive the appropriate competition upfront, which I believe we should have received at the time. “We recognise the importance of investing wisely in our attacking position.”I believe Marezi has the potential to be a successful striker.

He already follows Pompey on Instagram, indicating positive growth.From the highlights I’ve watched, he appears to be a legitimate prospect with a lot of promise. Obviously, he is very tall and strong. He appears to have strong ball skills and is also rather large.However,

Colby Bishop is not realistically a striker who will propel you to promotion over time. Let’s be assured about it.”I would do anything to keep Bishop on the team for as long as he can provide the dynamic we need.

“He has a fantastic ability to hold up play, link play between the lines, and just his overall play, and I believe that even last season, when the goals weren’t flowing, Bishop wasn’t at his best in terms of goal scoring. In most circumstances, having him on our side improved our appearance.

So that certainly tells you all you need to know about the significance of us entering the transfer market and investing in a striker who will hopefully raise the squad and create some competition for Colby Bishop.”

Marezi could flourish for Portsmouth, but Colby Bishop could have to take a backseat.

Marezi has seen minimal playing time for Almeria since becoming a senior player, but he is still only 22 years old and has a lot of promise, as Ioannidis mentioned.

He played the season on loan with Portuguese top-flight club Alverca, where he scored ten goals and assisted twice in 32 games across all competitions.

The former Partizan Belgrade player could prove to be an asset for Portsmouth next season if he inks a deal at Fratton Park and adjusts well to the Championship, but if the investment is made in his services, Bishop will most likely be pushed to backup.

Given that the ex-Accrington man only scored three Championship goals last season, it’s understandable that he’ll have to play a supporting role at Fratton Park, and may this make a move to Sheffield Wednesday more appealing? Only time will tell.