Portsmouth transfer news: Danny Cowley pinpoints two key areas he wants to strengthen in January - and admits plans are 'going well'

The Blues boss is determined to bring more pace and power to his forward line, with the aim also to have four strikers to call upon.

Cowley also wants someone who can improve his side’s threat from set-pieces.

He’s looking to make greater use of the Blues’ aerial threat and has pinpointed someone who is a natural when it comes to delivering quality balls into the opposition box and testing opposition keepers in and around the penalty area.

A natural crosser of the ball also key to Pompey’s use of striker Colby Bishop, so another winger could be on the agenda – especially with doubts remaining over Owen Dale and Josh Koroma’s current loan deals.

There’s 16 days until the January window opens for business.

Most transfer speculation has centred on Fratton Park departures rather than arrivals, with Kieron Freeman the latest to be linked with a Blues exit.

However, Cowley has insisted he wants to leave January stronger than when he entered the month.

And that means adding to his firepower – which currently includes Bishop and loanees Dane Scarlett and Joe Pigott – plus a dead-ball specialist, with that responsibility often falling on centre-back Clark Robertson’s shoulders recently.

‘I think they’re going well,’ said Cowley, when asked about his transfer plans.

‘They really start the moment the summer window shuts – that’s the reality – and we know exactly what the team needs.

‘Everybody always says how tough the January window is, but I always like the January window.

‘I’ve got real clarity over my team and what the team needs.

‘I’m still really pleased with the group we have. We’ve made giant strides and enjoy coming in every day to work with this set of players.

‘But we know what we’d like.

‘We’d like a balanced group, a really competitive group – if we could add a little more pace and power at the top end then that would be brilliant.

‘If we could add probably another natural set-piece taker and one with a natural quality of cross that would definitely help.

‘But it will very much be just to compliment what we have.’

Pompey are the 10th highest goalscorers in League One at present.

That ranking had fallen following just five goals in their past eight third-tier games – a major contributing factor to their current eighth-place position in the table.

But according to the Blues boss, his side are the third highest scorers in England this calendar.

So his wish for an extra striker boils down to wanting additional resources in that area – rather than him seeing it as a major weakness in his side.

Cowley added: ‘We’ve scored 84 goals this calendar year which I think is the third most in English football – and that’s a pretty good achievement.

‘I think Man City, who have played more games than us, and Sheffield Wednesday, who had some play-off games as well which we didn’t, are the only teams who have scored more than we have.

‘So in terms of goals per game, we’re right up there.

‘Saying that, you always want more goals and you naturally look to those areas.

‘In an ideal world, we’d like four forwards – we couldn’t quite get there in the summer window so if we could bring one more in in that area, that would be great.’