Former Portsmouth midfielder David Norris has insisted that the loan addition of Manchester City goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu is a strong piece of business from Pompey.

Portsmouth recently confirmed that they had won the race to secure Bazunu’s signature this summer on a season-long loan deal from Manchester City. That came after he had starred on loan at Rochdale in League One last term and managed to record four clean sheets and average 2.9 saves per game in his 29 league appearances.

Danny Cowley described the goalkeeper as one of the best young players in Europe in his position when the signing was announced by Portsmouth. That shows the regard that he is held in at Fratton Park and should see him become an ideal replacement for Craig MacGillivray who left the club at the end of his deal earlier in the summer.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Norris insisted that Bazunu is a perfect option for Cowley to call upon between the sticks next term. While he also revealed that he thinks it will prove to be a very good acquisition by Pompey.

He said: “Saying he is one of the best young goalkeepers in Europe is massive.

“They’re earmarking him as having a massive future and, at only 19, if he can get some games under his belt and do a job, it looks like he has a good future ahead of him.

“Coming from City, you would expect him to have a decent pedigree and play with his feet, which fits in with the way the Cowley brothers want to play. There were a few Championship clubs in for him as well, so I think it will be a good signing.”

The Verdict

You have to agree completely with Norris here, Bazunu seems to be the perfect kind of signing for Portsmouth to have made this summer to strengthen their goalkeeping options. It was a major sign of their intent for them to have been able to secure his signature considering there were a few other clubs that wanted to take him from Manchester City.

The Premier League champions obviously see Portsmouth as an ideal destination for the 19-year-old to continue his development. That should be seen as a major positive for Pompey and shows that they are in a position to convince top clubs in the top-flight to lend them their best young talents.

Bazunu will be keen to show that all of the hype around him is deserved on the field and if he can perform to the levels he did at times last term for Rochdale then he could have a major part to play in a promotion push by Pompey.