Why Portsmouth are reaping the rewards for £500,000 fee for Blackpool, Blackburn & Ipswich target

And the midfield insisted the Blues’ front man has all the qualities to thrive in the Championship.

The 26-year-old’s goalscoring tally increased by two on Saturday, as he netted twice in Pompey’s 2-0 win over Bristol Rovers.

This has seen Bishop’s figures rise to 22 strikes for the season with nine games still remaining in the campaign.

The Blues fended off Championship interest from Blackpool to land the striker for £500,000, before recently being linked with Blackburn.

But as he continues to shine under John Mousinho, Morrell believes forward’s value has significantly increased during his time at Fratton Park.

He told The News: ‘He's been top draw. He’s a top player and we all saw that pretty quickly.

‘Obviously, it was a fairly large outlay for the club but it shows if you spend money correctly then you can really find some top players.

‘Ever since I’ve played against Accrington, I knew the qualities he had but I’ve been surprised with how good he’s been not just with his goalscoring but his link-up play.

‘If he was out of the team you would definitely see a difference.

‘Of course (money well spent) and we’re seeing that now.

‘Ever since Rich (Richard Hughes) came in, we had a good January transfer window and brought in good quality.

‘Not just quality but quality young players as well and that’s probably the route this football club’s going to go down.

‘I came here to get promoted and I don’t want to leave this football club without playing for Pompey in the Championship.

‘We have to find the balance as a football club between being smart with recruitment but signing players who are going to get us promoted and I’ve got every faith that the club will continue to do that.’

Bishop has also been linked with League One rivals Ipswich as his stock continues to rise.

And Morrell is adamant the front man has all the qualities to succeed in the second tier - but only if he remains at Fratton Park.

He added: ‘One thing that could hold him back in a sense would be his age.

‘If he was 21 he would be getting a lower-end Premier League move by now and that’s just the way football goes.

‘I’ve played in the Championship, I’ve seen what that looks like and he's certainly capable enough of playing there.

‘Do I want to say that? Probably not. but he's fully capable of playing in the Championship. I’d rather him do it in a blue shirt for us and that’s what we all want.’