Med Alex Bass utlånt til Bradford, valgte Cowley-brødrene å hente inn en ny keeper som backup for Gavin Bazunu.

NYHETER: Han er født i Portsmouth, men har aldri spilt for Pompey. Nå hentes den Portsmouth-født U21-landslagskeeperen Ollie Webber til Nord-Irland til Pompey fra Crystal Palace.

I Palace har Webber vært siden 2016, men 21-åringen har aldri fått noen førstelagskamper for London-klubben.

SE OGSÅ: Ollie Webbers spillerprofil

Nå hentes han altså til Pompey. Det er ingenting som tyder på at han skal være i stand til å utfordre Gavin Bazunu om plassen som førstekeeper, men ettersom Alex Bass er utlånt trengte Pompey en voksen reservekeeper. Det er for risikabelt å ha akademikeepere som eneste backup.

Webber har signert for Pompey på permanent basis, men verken overgangssum eller lengde på kontrakten er offentliggjort.

Danny Cowleys kommentarer

– We’re delighted to bring Ollie into the group and he’s someone we were able to have a look at when he came in just before Christmas. He’s had a great education at Crystal Palace and as well as being a good shot-stopper, is comfortable with the ball at his feet and has excellent distribution skills.

– Ollie has come in and is a young keeper who wants to improve every single day. We like to recruit players who have a burning ambition to get better, sier hovedtrener Danny Cowley til Pompeys offisielle webside.

Ollie Webbers kommentarer

-I’m absolutely delighted because this is such a massive club and I couldn’t wait to get the deal sorted. I’m excited to get started here, train in a first team environment every day and try to push Gavin.

– He’s got experience of playing games – both here and at international level – and I can learn a lot from him. I’ve also grown a lot from my time at Crystal Palace and working alongside keepers like Vicente Guaita and Jack Butland. They’ve got so much experience and you try to pick things up from them, while they’re always on hand to offer advice. I’ve spoken to (goalkeeping coach) Michael Poke a few times and he puts on really good sessions, so I’m also excited to learn off him.”