Portsmouth will strike transfer gold with Crystal Palace deal - Franco Umeh can shine at Fratton Park | OneFootball

Franco Umeh is on John Mousinho's radar - and he could turn out to an excellent addition for Pompey

Portsmouth have enjoyed a relatively decent start to their second season back in the Championship, after winning the League One title in 2024.

Adrian Segecic got the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win at Oxford United on the opening day, with a much-changed side then falling to a Carabao Cup defeat at home to Reading.

Norwich City came to Fratton Park and picked up all three points after hanging on by the skin of their teeth near the end of that clash - while Pompey halted West Bromwich Albion's winning start to the Championship season under Ryan Mason last weekend as Colby Bishop's header cancelled out Mikey Johnston's stunner in Pompey's first game in their lively new third kit.

During the week, there has been the news that Matt Ritchie has officially left the club in order to sign for Reading, whilst Callum Lang is due to be sidelined for up to 12 weeks after undergoing surgery.

This means that John Mousinho is still looking for one more attacker before the window shuts on Monday - and one of the key players that they are reportedly chasing is exciting Crystal Palace talent Franco Umeh.

Franco Umeh could be a great signing for Pompey

The 20-year-old, who has previously been linked with fellow second-tier outfit Blackburn Rovers, is coming into a crucial stage of his development as a footballer, and will surely like to be playing regular football this season.

The Irish U21 international, who signed for the Eagles from Cork City in his homeland only last summer, impressed in Premier League 2 last season for Palace - scoring eight goals in 14 games.

Especially when it is factored in that Umeh was actually playing as a left wing-back in most of those games, with his more natural position appearing to be on the right side of the attack, this transfer makes sense - as it's a hole that Pompey will now be looking to fill given the departure of Ritchie.

The Scottish international, despite coming in with doubts over his fitness after a lack of game time at Newcastle United, was really vital to Pompey's success at staying up last season.

Adding this to Leicester City's apparent interest in Josh Murphy, who got 21 goals and assists combined last season, it is going to be vital that Pompey add a bit more firepower out wide as John Mousinho's side look for the right ammunition to support Bishop in that central striking berth.

Franco Umeh would be a great replacement for Matt Ritchie

Given Ritchie's contract impasse that has led to him eventually leaving the club, Pompey have had to reshuffle the forward line that appeared somewhat settled at the back end of the last campaign.

Florian Bianchini, signed on loan from Swansea City in the summer, started the games against Oxford and West Brom in that position but struggled to really impress, with Lang starting the Norwich game in that position.

Umeh, therefore, would be perfect to come in and produce the goods on that side - adding himself to a front three which already consists of Bishop in the central striking berth, Murphy, if fit, on the left-hand side and the talented Aussie, Segecic, operating in his preferred central attacking midfield position.

Umeh is clearly highly rated by those high up at Selhurst Park, as Oliver Glasner has utilised him on the bench in the Premier League already this season. And the Eagles' boss is certainly bullish about his chances of making it as a regular Premier League player in the future - as, speaking to the club's in-house media at the time of his first senior Palace call-up in September of last year, he said: "Yeah, it’s great (to have him training with the first team).

"So, when we have an Irish Under-21 national player in our Academy, I think it's also our job to give him a chance to show (what he can do) in first-team training, and even to get some minutes, maybe in the Premier League."