Paddy Lane Signs For Pompey on a 3-and-a-half year deal

Northern Irish winger Paddy Lane has joined the Blues on a permanent deal from Fleetwood Town.

The 21-year-old has put pen to paper on a 3-and-a-half year contract at Fratton Park, joining from The Fishermen for an undisclosed fee.

Lane was born in Halifax and played in the youth setup at Blackburn Rovers, however turned pro whilst at Hyde United, whose academy he graduated from in 2018.

The winger had made 67 appearances for the Northern Premier League outfit, scoring 13 goals across all competitions before making the switch to Fleetwood Town in 2021.

Following 2 short loan spells away from Highbury Stadium, both of which spent with Farsley Celtic, Lane became a senior member of the Cod Army, going on to make 54 league appearances for the club prior to this move.

Lane leaves the Fylde Coast having proven himself as a key asset for any stable League One side, as well as having made 2 international appearances for Northern Ireland. He was even named League One's Young Player of the Season at the EFL Awards following the conclusion of the 2021/22 campaign.

Head coach John Mousinho said: "We're delighted to bring Paddy to the club. He's a fantastic young player who can not only impact the squad now, but also has huge potential.

"As soon as he came on our radar, we were extremely excited about the prospect of working with him here.

"One of the most important things for us was that he was really keen on coming to Pompey and we got some excellent references.

"Paddy has a lot of guile and can beat players, while he has a wand of a left foot that our fans will love to see.

"But we've already seen that to their detriment when he scored for Fleetwood at Fratton Park last season."

Mousinho ended with: "Paddy's a really clever player with excellent ability and we believe he has a bright future ahead of him."

For more Portsmouth FC transfer news and to keep tabs on the club's Deadline Day dealings activity, follow us on Twitter and keep updated here at expressfm.com.

Join Jake Smith, Sam Macey and Hugh Bunce this Friday (February the 3rd) from 6pm for a full recap of Pompey's January Transfer Window and a preview of this weekend's clash with Barnsley at Fratton Park.