"We can't afford.." - Portsmouth FC sent clear Colby Bishop exit warning | OneFootball

FLW's Portsmouth fan pundit believes that Colby Bishop is the one player they can't afford to let go this summer

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...

After back-to-back 20-goal seasons in League One, Colby Bishop's first season in the Championship for Portsmouth was productive too, netting 11 and assisting three in 32 games.

The 28-year-old missed the opening three months of the season after undergoing open heart surgery in the summer, marking his return to the side with a goal in Pompey's 3-1 win over Preston North End.

That game was only Portsmouth's second win of the league campaign in the opening 15 matches, as a truly torrid opening stage to the season had many tipping the 2023/24 League One champions to make an instant return to the third tier.

However, Bishop's comeback coincided with an upturn in form which saw John Mousinho's side pick up the ninth-most points in the division over the next 32 games and finish comfortably in 16th.

FLW's Pompey fan pundit, Miltos Ioannidis, knows that it wasn't just a coincidence that his side picked up in form after he returned, and because of that, feels that their number nine is the one player Portsmouth can't afford to lose this summer.

"Colby Bishop is so integral to how we play," Ioannidis told Football League World.

"It's not just his goals that he brings to the side; it's his all-around play, and it baffles me sometimes that there are people who don't quite see that.

"He is a very important piece of the puzzle that we can't afford to lose or sell."

Last season, Bishop never went more than four league games without scoring or assisting, and his importance to the side was amplified with a hat-trick against Norwich City and being given the captaincy for a game against Sheffield Wednesday in April.

Ioannidis continued: "He's the sort of player who we can build a team around, and a lot lies on him for what we do.

"It's no coincidence that when he came back last season, we started to pick up points. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be a Championship club."

Colby Bishop can become one of the Championship's elite next season

If Bishop plays and scores at the rate many Portsmouth fans know he can, then keeping hold of him may incur a bit more of a struggle than Ioannidis and his fellow Pompey fans would like.

He scored just under a goal every three games in his first season in the Championship, and that comes having missed the opening 14 games of the season.

If he can immediately return to a striker that plays at least 40 times a term (which he has done in the four campaigns preceding last season), then he could find himself scoring in the mid-to-high teens.

Additionally, his off-ball battles help Portsmouth retain possession high up the field. He ranked in the top 3% of Championship strikers for duels won in the air and on the ground, and in the top 6% for fouls won in his position, too, according to Fotmob.

He scored some important goals as well in wins over Cardiff City, Leeds United and Watford, which helped his side put distance between themselves and the bottom three.

So, his ability to score at a steady rate, his willingness to be physical when out of possession, and the way he stays a presence when his team need him the most make him incredibly attractive as a striker at this level.

Portsmouth will be hoping that they can keep him for as long as they can. But if he continues to perform as he has been so far at Fratton Park, it may be easier said than done.