Pompey Borrow Baggies Duo

Last updated : 24 November 2011 By Jim Bonner

Portsmouth have signed West Brom pair Joe Mattock and George Thorne on loan until January 2nd.

Mattock, 21, is a left back and is likely to go straight into the team for the visit of Leicester City on Saturday. Having formerly made his name with the Foxes, he was snapped up by Albion in 2009 and has shown promise during that time, where he also spent the second half of last season with Sheffield United.

What his arrival means for Tal Ben-Haim remains to be seen. Will the Israeli be moved out to his more comfortable position at right back at the expense of one of his fellow defenders or will he be dropped altogether after being hauled off at half-time during the Watford game?

Not much is known about Thorne apart from that he was part of the England U-17 side that won the European championships last year. Michael Appleton says he is a big lad who will bring composure to the team and can pass the ball well.

The boy himself says he likes to spread the ball around and create chances for others, given that that is usually the duty of David Norris, it seems like the former Ipswich captain may well make way for him on Saturday.

Unfortunately, Abdul Razak's loan spell with Pompey has ended and hasn't been extended. This is a shame as it was clear that the man has talent and had he been given more time with us then he might have made a bigger impact on the team.

He certainly had the skill and the talent to make our other players look mediocre, even if he played us into trouble once or twice. We certainly could have done with keeping him until January at least.

There was also the possibility of a third loan signing coming in but that failed to materialise ahead of the 5pm deadline today, so that's also a little disappointing.

Nevertheless, I look forward to seeing the new guys in action on Saturday.