Portsmouth transfer news: Danny Cowley makes Colby Bishop signing admission following tug-of-war with Blackpool and reveals the advice he sought before agreeing £500,000 fee for striker

The striker has penned a three-year-deal at Fratton Park to become the Blues’ seventh signing of the transfer window.

A fee in the region of £500,000 has been paid to Accrington, with Pompey having the option of an extra 12 months.

Bishop’s arrival means Danny Cowley has now brought in two strikers within the space of a week, after completing a loan deal for Ipswich front man Joe Pigott late last Friday night.

Although a third is still required, the Blues can finally approach the season confident in the knowledge that they now have a strike force that can cause serious problems in League One.

It’s been a long time coming, given that the 2022-23 campaign is just over a week away.

And so, too, has Bishop’s arrival, with the 25-year-old first linked with a move to Fratton Park earlier this month.

A deal appeared close on Monday, only for Championship Blackpool to seemingly gazump Pompey for the former non-league striker’s signature at the 11th hour.

However, that deal soon collapsed, too, providing the opportunity for the Blues to finally get Bishop on board.

Cowley admitted the process has been far from straightforward.

But revealed the nervous wait had been worth it after seeing the in-demand striker finally put pen to paper on a Pompey deal.

Cowley said: ‘It wasn’t straightforward – these things never are – and we had to be pretty resilient and determined.

‘We had an offer accepted for Colby and there was also Championship interest, while he wants to play at the highest level possible.

‘So we were a bit nervous, but we spoke with him and told him to take his time and make an intelligent decision. Ultimately, he’s chosen to come here – and that’s brilliant.

‘He wants to play in the Championship and so do we, so I think our ambitions are aligned in that sense.’

Bishop scored 39 goals in 123 appearances for Accrington following his move from National League North side Leamington in 2019.

His three seasons at the Wham Stadium saw him hit double figures in the league each time.

Meanwhile, in his five outings against the Blues, three goals were scored to put the recruitment team at Fratton Park on alert.

Cowley admitted he spoke to several members of his defence in order to gauge their opinion on a possible move for Bishop.

And after hearing what the likes of Sean Raggett and Clark Robinson had to say about him, it confirmed what he already suspected.

‘My chief scouts in the centre-forward department are always my centre-halves, so we spoke with Clark Robertson, Sean Raggett and Connor Ogilvie,’ added Cowley.

‘I asked them for the toughest forward they’ve played against in this division and they all said Colby, which says a lot about his attributes.

‘He’s an unselfish link player, which is something that we really like and we relish the opportunity to play into and up to him.

‘We also like to get into wide areas and cross the ball, and in the box he carries a real threat – both from open play and set-pieces.

‘It’s a really exciting signing for Portsmouth Football Club and we’ve had to be patient, but I think that Colby could see that he’s really wanted here.’