Portsmouth rivals Cardiff land striker in potential £3.3m deal as 64-cap Morocco international joins Hull
Pompey slipped to second-from-bottom in the Championship table this week following defeat to Blackburn and results elsewhere going against them.
A home win against Middlesbrough on Saturday would be the perfect response to the disappointing development.
A bit of concrete transfer news wouldn’t go amiss either, with the Blues in need of some first-team reinforcements - despite the arrivals of Rob Atkinson and Isaac Haydens earlier this month.
News that their rivals around the lower reaches of the Championship table are actively adding to their ranks heightens that need for urgency, especially with some of the figures that have been mentioned.
Here’s the latest transfer news from Pompey’s survival competitors as the battle to avoid the drop heats up.
Cardiff snap up striker in multi-million-pound move
Cardiff has boosted their firepower for the second half of the season after announcing the signing of Denmark striker Yousef Salech.
The 23-year-old has joined the Bluebirds on a four-and-a-half-year deal from Swedish side Sirius. The overall fee Sirius could get for the former Brondy player will rise to £3.3m if all bonuses and add-ons are met.
Salech registered 11 goals and four assists last season in the Allsvenskan and has been signed in time for Cardiff’s game against Swansea on Saturday.
The Bluebirds have the Championship’s fourth worst goalscoring record this season (26), with just Plymouth, Hull and Stoke scoring fewer goals. Omer Riza’s side jumped above Pompey in the standings thanks to their 1-1 draw with Oxford in midweek.
Hull confirm signing of 64-times capped Morocco international
Hull have confirmed the signing of vastly-experienced winger Nordin Amrabat.
The 64-times capped Morocco international has joined the Tigers until the end of the season on a free transfer. He arrives after leaving Greek side AEK Athens, with the 37-year-old counting PSV, Galatasaray, Malaga, Watford and Al-Nassr among his former clubs.
Amrabat has scored 97 goals and registered 14 assists during a 19-year career. He told Hull’s website after agreeing to his latest move: ‘I’m very happy and excited to be here. It’s a big club with a big history. I’m happy to be part of the Hull City family now and I can’t wait to start.
‘England is the best country in the world when it comes to football. The Premier League is above all the leagues in the world and the Championship is a respected league.
‘The manager has explained how he wants the wingers to play, how they need to press and now I understand what he expects. I always try to help the young players and I will do more than my best on the pitch and outside the pitch. I am fit and ready to play.
‘The main goal is to climb up the table and make the fans happy. I want to enjoy football, enjoy with my teammates. We want to celebrate some good wins.’
Hull are one place above Pompey in the Championship table on goal difference. They travel to Millwall on Saturday.