GUY WHITTINGHAM believes there may be a ‘surprise’ in Pompey’s loan striker hunt.
But it won’t be Wes Thomas, after Bournemouth stated they were unwilling to loan him out again.
The Blues are desperate for a striker having failed to score since Thomas returned to Dean Court four matches ago.
Whittingham is also trailing a new defender.
The search has been made possible after both Josh Thompson and Luke Rodgers left Fratton Park on loan.
Thompson has linked-up with Colchester, while Rodgers has made the switch to Shrewsbury.
Now Whittingham is seeking replacements in time for next weekend’s visit of Doncaster.
He said: ‘We have enquired about Wes – we are making enquiries about lots of players.
‘It’s not a case of hoping that something might happen, every day you make enquiries about players, trying to get something done.
‘Obviously, Wes gets mentioned because he came in and played so well.
‘But I don’t think we should just concentrate on Wes. There might be a surprise somewhere else.
‘We are after one striker and one defender. Those are the areas we really need to improve on squad-wise because that is the backbone of your team.’
Meanwhile, Eddie Howe has dismissed the notion of Thomas returning to Pompey.
The Bournemouth boss said: ‘He’s very much part of our plans so we have got no intention of letting him go anywhere else.’