This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict’ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Portsmouth have emerged as an interested party in Ipswich Town striker James Norwood, as per a Football League World exclusive from yesterday. 

The 31-year-old has fallen victim to a change of direction and personnel at Portman Road, with the Tractor Boys welcoming 19 new faces to Suffolk in the summer.

Norwood has recently been training with the club's U23s and he netted for them in a 4-1 win over Watford yesterday afternoon.

 

 

The arrival of Macauley Bonne and Joe Pigott has seen the striker drop down the pecking order at Portman Road, with it seeming unlikely that a return to first-team action is on the cards.

Here, we take a look at how three of our writers view this potential move...

Josh Cole

Portsmouth should steer clear of signing James Norwood in the January window.

Although Pompey may need to draft in a striker in order to provide competition for John Marquis, Norwood's recent displays have been relatively inconsistent.

After only managing to score nine goals in League One last season, the forward has been limited to two appearances during the current campaign due to the presence of Macauley Bonne.

With there being no guarantee that he will be able to step up to the mark for Pompey during the second-half of the season, it could be argued that Cowley may find it more beneficial to sign a younger striker who has the talented needed to play at a higher level in the future.

Adam Jones

Having an extra goalscorer in there will be useful with Ronan Curtis and Marcus Harness providing the necessary threat in behind, so the signing of James Norwood could be a useful one.

Frozen out of the first team at Ipswich with Macauley Bonne and Joe Pigott's arrivals in the summer, he would have a point to prove at Fratton Park and as someone who has already shown his goalscoring prowess at previous clubs, this might be a gamble worth taking.

Scoring 20 goals in 56 League One matches, he can certainly step up to this level without any problems, but the main concern will be about his availability.

Previously being ever-present at Tranmere and Forest Green Rovers, he hasn't been one of the first names on the teamsheet throughout this time at Portman Road, so this is something Pompey will need to weigh up before making a move for the 31-year-old.

At 31, he should be able to play at least one or two more years at this level.

Chris Gallagher

This wouldn't be the most inspiring signing.

There's no doubting that Portsmouth could do with another striker in the January window, as they have struggled for a regular scorer outside of Marcus Harness. So, Norwood could help in that sense because he has proven himself at this level in the past and will be eager to prove a point after how things have turned out at Ipswich.

However, he is 31 now and has barely had a look-in this season, so you would have to question whether he would be able to make an instant impact, whilst he certainly isn't a long-term option.

So, Portsmouth should be trying to aim for better as they seek to win promotion to the Championship, but the January window is notoriously difficult, which means that Norwood could become a very realistic option for Cowley as he seeks to bolster his squad for the run-in.