Portsmouth concerns raised over potential January transfer interest in "£1.5m-£2m" attacker | OneFootball

FLW's Portsmouth fan pundit has given his view on which player is likely to attract transfer interest from elsewhere in January.

This article is part of Football League World’s 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

It has been a tough start to life back in the Championship for Portsmouth.

Pompey are back in the second tier of English football for the first time since 2012 after winning the League One title last term, but it has not been the start to the season that supporters would have hoped for.

It was a busy summer for the south coast club, with 15 new players arriving at Fratton Park, so the new-look squad was always going to take time to gel, and they have had an incredibly difficult fixture list in the early weeks of the campaign.

Despite the slow start, manager John Mousinho signed a new deal to keep him at the club until 2028 last month, and with a more favourable run of games coming up, Portsmouth will be optimistic that they can begin to climb the table.

One of the main positives for Pompey this season has been the form of forward Callum Lang, who has made a big impression since joining the club from Wigan Athletic in January.

Lang played a crucial role in Portsmouth's promotion in the second half of last season, and with Colby Bishop and Kusini Yengi currently sidelined, he has been one of their main attacking threats so far this campaign.

Portsmouth fan pundit predicts Callum Lang interest in January

When asked which player he believes could garner the most transfer interest in January, FLW's Portsmouth fan pundit Miltos Ioannidis predicted that Lang could be on the radar of other clubs after his strong start to the season.

"It's a difficult one to answer at the moment because, to put it simply, we haven't had a lot of standout performers so far," Miltos said.

"We're still only six games into the season, but we haven't really had any standout performers.

"Another thing is the fact that most of our better players and higher valued assets are players that were only brought in this summer or had their contracts renewed.

"I think there isn't any clear player that is very likely to have a club come in for him in January, but Callum Lang has arguably been our best player so far.

"He's scored three goals, he's the biggest threat we've got in attack by a country mile right now with Colby Bishop and Kusini Yengi out, so my pick would be Callum Lang.

"As for a price tag, we brought Callum Lang to the club in January, and you would imagine his price has gone up a lot since then, especially with how well he's coped in the Championship and how he has made the step up.

"We would probably be looking at around £1.5 million - £2 million, that would be my prediction, and as time goes by, if he continues to perform the way that he has done so far, you can only see the price go even higher."

John Mousinho will be concerned about potential Callum Lang exit

It is difficult to disagree with Miltos that Lang could attract interest from elsewhere in January, and that will be a worrying prospect for Portsmouth.

There is no doubt that Lang is an excellent performer at League One level, but having previously struggled in the Championship with Wigan, he is now proving that he can deliver in the second tier with Pompey.

At the age of 26, Lang is now entering the peak years of his career, which could make him a potentially shrewd signing for a promotion-chasing club, but he may need to maintain his form for a longer period of time if he is to secure a big move.

With many of their attackers currently injured or out of form, Portsmouth will be desperately hoping they can keep hold of Lang in January, and losing him would undoubtedly be a big blow to their survival hopes.