Portsmouth FC: Darren Anderton details Colby Bishop "must" this summer | OneFootball

Darren Anderton has urged Portsmouth to retain star striker Colby Bishop this summer.

Highlights

Portsmouth are planning for life back in the Championship after clinching promotion last season, and Darren Anderton expects Colby Bishop could be an integral player again for John Mousinho's side.

The Portsmouth star is likely to be as crucial as he has been over the last few years, with the striker arguably now in the peak of his career at the age of 27.

The striker has been in exceptional scoring form during the 2023/24 campaign, and it will be interesting to see whether Mousinho's side are able to retain Bishop's services, with interest building in the centre-forward in recent years after seeing him pass the 20-goal mark again last season.

Bishop, who has been a consistent scorer in recent years and has two years left on his contract with his extension option in mind, could be an affordable option to a number of Pompey's second tier peers.

It was reported earlier last year, that Ipswich were looking at Bishop, whilst January reports also detailed Millwall's interest in the Portsmouth forward.

Darren Anderton's verdict on Colby Bishop

The south coast club have not competed at this level of English football since 2012, so will be looking to build a team capable of sustaining their place in the division long-term, and Bishop could be central to that.

However, Portsmouth could also easily find themselves looking to hold onto key players this summer, if interest arrives in some of their promotion heroes, and Bishop's contract situation means they are at risk of losing him in the near future.

Darren Anderton's career began with Portsmouth, where he played in two seasons, appearing 77 times in the process. We asked him how important is it that Portsmouth keep Bishop after his good form and links away in the past.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, via William Hill, he said: "You must keep your best players and Colby Bishop is one of them, for sure.

"It brings doubt into the squad if you lose your best players, so I would hope that Bishop stays with Portsmouth.

"I hope they can enjoy a good season in the Championship, free from relegation."

Colby Bishop's importance to Portsmouth

Portsmouth will no doubt be hoping that they can fend off any potential interest in key players this summer and hold onto stars like Bishop.

Mousinho’s goal will be to maintain the team’s competitive edge and avoid any kind of relegation battle next season. The club will be hoping to cement their place in the Championship, with a view to competing for promotion to the top-flight in the long-term.

Their immediate short-term future is to stabilise and consolidate themselves as a Championship club, but this summer will be a test of their ambition, and keeping big stars will be as important to that as any arrivals at Fratton Park.

Bishop was instrumental to their League One title triumph, coming second in the division’s top scorer charts with 21 goals, and proving to be one of the shrewdest bits of business the club's done in recent years after signing him from Accrington Stanley.