"I’d be confident" - Portsmouth told to consider transfer swoops for Preston North End & Plymouth Argyle forwards | OneFootball

FLW's Pompey fan pundit has his say on which free agents he feels his club should target.

Portsmouth FC will have been delighted with the way their 2024/25 season played out following their promotion back to the Championship the year before.

Pompey had spent 12 consecutive years in the bottom two tiers of the Football League, but were able to successfully consolidate their position on their return to the Championship.

John Mousinho’s side strung together a five-match unbeaten run to close out their campaign, a run of form which ultimately saw them beat the drop with two games to spare.

The attention of Mousinho and the club’s hierarchy will now turn towards ensuring they strengthen the squad in the summer to push forward once again next term.

Portsmouth told to make ambitious Emil Riis move

After a promising return to the Championship this season, there is plenty of optimism at Fratton Park heading into the summer.

A strong summer transfer window for the club could supply Mousinho with the tools he needs to put even more daylight between Pompey and the bottom three next term.

As ever with the Championship, some enticing names are currently without a club at the start of the summer.

With that in mind, we asked FLW’s resident Portsmouth fan pundit, Miltos Ioannidis, which free agent he feels his club should chase this summer, and he believes that Mousinho should make a move for a player who has just departed Preston North End - a club Pompey's boss played for in the early 2010's.

Miltos said: “I’ve got a couple of names that I think would be good additions. For the first one, I think it would be quite a long shot, but Emil Riis, who has just left Preston.

“From what I’ve seen and heard, he can be a slightly frustrating player at times, but a player who has also got quality and can score goals.

"We’re looking for players who can compete with Colby Bishop, but I don’t think Riis would be happy coming in as a number two option.

“I’ve heard good things, and in both games against us (this season), he was decent.”

Riis finished the campaign as the top scorer for Preston with 12 league goals, but was then released by the Lancashire outfit, who failed to agree on fresh terms for their star man.

The Danish frontman has surpassed 10 league strikes in two of his five seasons at Deepdale. While injuries have hindered him at times, there are sure to be plenty of clubs queuing up for his signature this summer, especially considering he now finds himself as a free agent.

Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United were interested in signing the 26-year-old in January, and if their interest is to be renewed this summer, then Portsmouth would surely have their work cut out to get a deal done.

Mustapha Bundu may be a more realistic Portsmouth target after Plymouth Argyle exit

Given the number of clubs that are likely to show an interest in Riis, Portsmouth should also be looking at other options to bolster their front-line.

If the Dane isn’t ultimately tempted by a move to the South Coast, then Miltos feels that Plymouth Argyle’s Mustapha Bundu could also prove to be a useful option.

Pompey's Greek fan continued: “That argument with Bishop then leads me onto my second player, and that’s Mustapha Bundu from Plymouth. He scored double digits for a really poor Plymouth side and can play from wide or through the middle.

“I think he predominantly played on the right wing last season, and that’s another position where we’d be looking to bring someone in.

“We’ve got to find somebody who is good enough to complement the attackers we’ve already got, and I think he’d be a really good signing.

“There will obviously be a lot of interest in both, including from abroad as well, I’d imagine, but I’d be confident in either of them if they were to come down to the South Coast.”

Bundu is set to depart the Home Park outfit imminently, after his agent recently revealed his desire to leave the club, even though Plymouth offered him an extension to his deal.

The attacker finished the season with 10 goals and six assists for a Pilgrims side that ultimately couldn’t escape the drop. After such a promising season for a struggling team, the possibility of showing what he could do in a slightly stronger Championship side would surely be an attractive proposition for the 28-year-old.