Atangana bids Pompey farewell

Nigel Atangana has joined Leyton Orient for an undisclosed fee.
Nigel Atangana has left Pompey     Picture: Joe PeplerNigel Atangana has left Pompey     Picture: Joe Pepler
Nigel Atangana has left Pompey Picture: Joe Pepler

Orient, Crawley and Ebbsfleet were among a number of clubs trailing the out-of-favour midfielder.

But Atangana yesterday opted for the League Two side following the agreement of a transfer fee with Pompey.

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The 26-year-old had already been told by Paul Cook there will be no new deal when his existing contract expires at the season’s end – now he has bid farewell to Fratton Park.

The Frenchman’s last appearance was as a substitute at Carlisle in November and since has seen Danny Hollands, Ben Close and Adam Barton preferred as one of the two holding midfielders.

With Paul Cook keen to reduce his sizeable squad this month, Atangana had been a prime candidate to depart, alongside Matt Tubbs.

A broken leg for Hollands at Ipswich earlier this month potentially opened the door for the Frenchman, while Michael Doyle has played through injury.

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As a result, Atangana travelled with the team to Accrington Stanley last weekend with the possibility of being named on the bench.

Instead the game was called off because of a frozen pitch.

On Tuesday night against Ipswich, Barton partnered Doyle in midfield, with Close on the bench – yet there was no Atangana once again in the squad, albeit with his Orient move imminent.

It means he was named only once in Pompey’s last 10 squads, despite being available.

Yet he started the first eight league matches of the Cook era before falling away from the side.

Atangana joined Pompey from the Hawks for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2014, going on to make 48 appearances and score once.