Pompey have long been admirers of Gambia international forward Abdoulie Manneh

Abdoulie Manneh - remember him?

He’s the Mjallby AIF forward Pompey were keen on last summer as they searched for a replacement for Matt Ritchie.

The £4.2m-rated Gambia international was also a player the Blues had reportedly signed on a pre-contract agreement ahead of the last January transfer window - only for head coach John Mousinho to rubbish those claims.

Now, after months of speculation about his future, the attacker has finally got the move he’s been desperately craving.

But it’s not to Pompey or any of the other English clubs who have been linked with his services over the past year and a bit - including Birmingham City, Coventry, Stoke, West Ham and Burnley.

Instead, the 21-year-old has been snapped up by Belgian Pro League side Cercle Brugge, where he’ll spend the entire season on loan.

The deal also includes an option to buy Manneh. Although, the fee needed to make his loan permanent will be far off the £4.2m often quoted with the player as his existing contract with Mjallby runs out in 2027.

Manneh makes the switch to Jan Breydel Stadium after two goals and three assists for his former Allsvenskan side in 2026.

Since moving to Sweden from Wallidan in 2024, the forward - who can play on the wing or in the No10 position - has registered 14 goals and eight assists in 75 games for AIF.

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Pompey’s interest in Manneh

Manneh came under Pompey’s radar as they attempted to add extra quality to their attacking ranks following their first season back in the Championship

However, rather than signing the Gambia international they recruited Florian Bianchini, Conor Chaplin and Minhyeok Yang on loan in addition to Franco Umhe.

Those attacking ranks were added to further with the arrivals of Millenic Alli, Gustavo Caballero (both loans) and Keshi Anderson in January.

However, of the above, only Anderson, who is currently injured, remains at Fratton Park - a situation which prompted Pompey to sign former Fratton favourite Abu Kamara on a permanent deal this summer alongside Luke Brooke-Smith and Ran Kavuma-McQueen (loan).

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