Portsmouth News 24/7Writer: pompeyrug 
Date:Wednesday July 11 2007
Time: 6:12PM
UK time is: 21:05:23
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Utaka makes it a Pompey double
Pompey today not only announced the signing of David Nugent, but also unveiled John Utaka too! What did I say, it is often the way with Pompey that signings usually come in pairs - and they have again.
Harry Redknapp has tracked the Nigerian international forward - it is important to stress he is a forward, not an out and out striker - for some time and has finally landed the 25-year old, who has an impressive goalscoring record with Rennes over the last couple of years.
The amount has not been disclosed for the player that can also play on the right wing, but is believed to be around £6m - which could rise depending on various things happening, such as our league placing.
Like Nugent he has signed a 4-year contract, but unlike him it is not known if Utaka will be able to feature in this weekends friendly with Yeovil, as a work permit is still required - not that this will be an issue.
Will these be the final signings of the summer - around £20m could suggest so, but you never know?
PLAY UP POMPEY!
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Your Comments
Well, looks like Arry's done it again. The squads very very strong on paper.
Tantona
i'm a very happy bunny :-)
pentonpompey
We all hope that John Utaka turns out to be as good a buy as the Yak was and Benjy is.
Good luck to him and i look forward to seeing him wearing a new Pompey shirt.
Owenspompey
without wanting tostart sounding like a pesimistic type on some of my other comments. I realy have to say tat this bloke sounds very good and i have high hopes for this bloke..I havent felt as optimistc since we signed Collins Mbsuma..***** I should'nt have said that.i think he will be better that Yakabu..
plymouth graham
Graham, you have just given me a reality check with the mention of Mbsuma's name, he must be far better than that.
After all we are entitled to make one mistake every 5-6 seasons, he will be as good as the Yak i am sure.
Owenspompey
lets look at it this way fellas there is no way on gods green earth that 'arry would want to risk seeing the club forking out as much on utaka as they have if he was not sure... so, do we think that is the end of the signings then?
pompeyrug
Looking good.
storagematt
A couple of good deals and looking good for the season. Will there be anymore?
bluedr
Utaka looks fantastic on the you tube clips.I reckon this has got to be a good signing. I still think a European striker will arive..or Andy Cole may stay. But the idea of "Krunchie" filling in does have some merit I think-so glad we did'nt let him go to rennes.but on a rumour site a Reading fan had linked him with them.
plymouth graham
Harry rates "Krunchie" and i reckon he will be with us for at least one more season, and i reckon he will be a good squad player for us.
I am suprised you think that Andy Cole will stay, but i suppose he could provide cover in January when the first choice strikers are away.
Owenspompey
pompeyrug you are a liar :-)
russellm
you did have a Sol in a pompey shirt photo, its brilliant, thanks very much, what a prize. Sorry that's a massivrly off topic, bit like mentioning rugsoccersignatures.com, i shall start doing product placement. anyway after reading plymouthgraham i visited youtube and although it is le championat and Nigeria, Utaka does look the part. As you say Rug we shoulnt call him a striker, but he will bring speed to the RH wing. Dare we expect to see a positive away formation, something diferent to 1,10.
russellm
i still think Utaka is a winger and suspect harry will go for harewood or Kanoute
russellm
kanoute, defoe and yak ...... cant see any others in the mill atm. then we can cheat the FA and play 1-5-100-1000 , i like this formation! :)
spoiler
i dont think this will be the end. in the press confrance, when asked if we may get more, harry suggeseted we might. as for utaka, having looked at his goals from last season, they are mostly where he has got in front of the defence to tap them in...with the odd nicely struck shot. Nugent is probably a bargain - particaly if you look at other english strikers - ashley young, and darren bent come to mind, he could be a buy of the season!
pompeycarpet
this will probably leave our media speculation dead...we have 2 new strikers, 2 new midfielders, and 3 new defenders, and we have basicly all the people we were linked with - aart from kanute and yak. (and diara, and...etc)
pompeycarpet
I'm happy too for once. Two good buys which fit well with the already strong squad. I now have to relaly strain myself in order to imagine 'arry moaning about the lack of depth in the squad (but I still can see it coming, well at least a bare bones speech during the ACON). Anyway I have seen Utaka play for Rennes and on tv for Nigeria... he's always played as one of the front two... am sure he could do a job wide when we are mixing it up but would surprise me if HR 'converts' him. Now I might permit myself a pang of excitement about the coming season.
Liquor&Poker
i won't! looking at what other clubs are doing, totenham are looking very nice now (not for us), west ham (i hate to say it) look good, with the amount of money they spent, (but without tevez, it could all fall apart?), newcastle will be like an expensive bolton, bolton will be...a worse version of bolton...everton will be everton, and we are even less likely to get points against the big clubs, and the newly pronmoted clubs wont be a walkover. Man city will be tough, as will fulham, who will have something to prove, and wigan, who have started spending. Aston villa will also be pretty nasty. I am NOT looking forward to next season, and prefer to look back at what "could have been" rather than what "wont be" next season...
pompeycarpet
Pompeycarpet, I assume you are a pessimist by nature?
paultsmouth
actualy, i am just looking at it very optimisticly...from the point of view from all the other clubs...:)
pompeycarpet
carpet, "could have beens " didnt happen, so strive to acheive and move on
russellm
LoL feeling vomity now
russellm
russ, when you called me a liar i thought 'what have i said or done now' :) then i read the next comment and all became clear. well mate, i scurried around here and there and got what was wanted - glad you were happy... come on pompeycarpet mate, yep we did miss out on something last season but why should we not look forward to the coming one? we will learn lessons from last one and should be better prepared now. if we get in a great possition again - and falter - i will be more than a little aggrieved, but now i am only looking forward, with exitment too...
pompeyrug
ah, i think i was mis-understood again :) - i am actualy pleased we missed out on europe, as we would have gone out in the first rund this season, and our league form would have been affected. - this season, i am qutly confident we will do well, but i just dont like to say it out loud...a bit of a cover in casewe do badly :)
pompeycarpet
sorry mate, my bad... tbh i dont think we would have gone out in the 1st round of the uefa cup - and being in this would have possilbly made attracting players easier too? but we have got some in either way, so this adventure will wait for another time...
pompeyrug
the only other playor that i could see joining would have been alou diara...the rest, we have got! - maybe defoe would have joined...but then both still might! - (and it was my fault actualy, i r-read what i said, and it is slightly misleading...)
pompeycarpet
Diara would be a good buy, and is still available, but is he really interested in coming to England?
Defoe will start at Spurs and then when he is constantly on the bench want to get away, bide your time Harry and he will be available about January.
Owenspompey
i agree Owenspompey defoe in january looks a real possibility and i feel he will come in for a most likely departing Kanu. diara is another midfielder so im not sure what we would do with him,assuming GO'N hits form and why shouldnt he there seems to be suffficeint quality in the middle. Defence looks better ( although i worry about Dej) so i still think Cole and maybe LuaLua ( who is now making the right noises) will depart and with the ACoN in jamuary i feel another forward is required.
russellm
With the African Cup coming up maybe we need to hold on to Andy Cole as cover, then again will he be happy to do this.
I dont think that Dejan will get that many games if things go to plan, and he may well depart in the next window, Leicester possibly ?
I do hope that Gary O'Neill gets a fair crack, and proves to us that he has fulfilled his potential and gets ito the England reckoning, oh i forgot Mclaren is still in charge.
Owenspompey
i wonder if GON will heal intime from op..from what ive read it sounds simular to MattyT couple of seasons ago and he took ages following some complications. I'm about a day late writing this tag but harry was on T/Sport this morning and told A Brazil that he wanted another striker or wide-cum-striker. rumours abound at HENRI sCuMARA...I have to admit it was a great goal he got against us when we tonked them..but again he would be out ANC
plymouth graham
I am not convinced Cole will want to stick around but as i said i think a loan is the most likely option, i dont thin sCuMara would be so bad but yep i think he would be out for the ANC. spoiler seems to think we need Richardson but i still think its a striker we need.
russellm
yep, non african striker is needed really isn't he - and they are still out there!
pompeyrug
Its all gone quiet with regard to Cole hasnt it, maybe he has realised that there are not many clubs chasing him anymore and that we are his best option.
Even he must look around at the squad and be impressed, hopefully he wants to be part of it.
My cockney mate at work has told me that Etherington is on his way out and Harry is interested, not convinced, but would he give us the wide man option we desire?
Owenspompey
ive always quite like the fella, a few years back when west ham lost to palace in the play off final my brother in law and i both said how good we thought he was and he could play for england in the then 'troubled' left sided position... he has not always found it easy since but is a good little player, but not any better than the options we have?
pompeyrug
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