Portsmouth snap up Gambian teenager

Portsmouth signed teenage Gambian striker Omar Koroma from Banjul Hawks on Monday.

Koroma, nicknamed OJ, impressed Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp during a trial with the Premier League and has agreed a permanent two-year contract.

The 18-year-old is set to be loaned to Championship club Norwich for the rest of the season to gain more first team experience, but Redknapp believes he has a big future at Fratton Park.

“I’ve been very impressed with him and I’m pleased that we’ve got him here,” Redknapp told Portsmouth’s website.

“I like him very much. He’s a good kid and he’s got the potential to become a very good player.

“Someone rung me and recommended him. We got him down here and we liked what we saw straight away.

“There’s a big gulf at the club between senior players and young kids. We’ve got nothing in between really but I think he can bridge that gap.

“He’s played out wide and through the middle for us in pre-season but he’s a forward player really.”