Nicky Shorey has signed for Portsmouth for the rest of the season having been released by Bristol City last month.
The 32-year-old left back is reunited with old boss Steve Coppell who must have had an influence on him signing for the same club who were very keen on him in 2008, before he made the switch to Aston Villa instead. He almost signed a loan deal the season after but the transfer fell through and he moved to Nottingham Forest instead.
The former Reading full back has scored against Pompey in the past, havng fired in a deflected goal to complete the infamous 7-4 match at Fratton Park in 2007, whilst having a penalty saved in that same game.
However, my most prominent memory of Shorey is how easily he was skinned by John Utaka in the reverse fixture that season before the Nigerian scored one of his few goals for Pompey. In truth, Shorey is not a player who has performed well against his new employers and will probably have to win some of the Portsmouth fans over.
Shorey's arrival coincides with the departure of Shaun Cooper who hasn't been offered an extension to his existing contract which has now expired.
It comes as no surprise as the former Bournemouth man has struggled to hold down a place in the first team despite his versatility and his performances haven't been very impressive this season, so in honesty he is no huge loss to the squad. He will now be expected to move to Torquay who were interested in him before he returned to Portsmouth.
Marcos Painter's future is now also in doubt following the signing of Shorey. His current deal expires next week but he could be seen as surplus to requirements with the arrival of a new left back but he could be kept as back up.
Expect plenty more transfer news as a busy January for Richie Barker continues. Strikers Jake Jervis and Ryan Taylor are expected to sign for Portsmouth before Saturday's match with Oxford and there are rumours that David Connolly may be leaving the club too.