'He was telling me' - the response new Portsmouth signing got from former Fratton favourite after Blues' interest emerged

New Pompey signing Lee Evans has revealed the reaction he got from former Fratton favourite Conor Chaplin when he told him of his move to the Blues.

The duo were team-mates at Ipswich for two-and-a-half years - and with Chappers’ affinity with the Blues well known after 122 games and 25 goals for the club, he was an obvious choice to turn to as Pompey’s interest emerged.

Evans, who has moved to Fratton Park on a free transfer until the end of the season, revealed he also consulted Michael Jacobs, George Hirst and Callum Lang - whom he played with at Wigan -  before sealing the switch. Yet it was academy graduate Chaplin’s continued enthusiasm for Pompey which stood out from the positive feedback he received.

Chatting to the club media following his Friday arrival, Evans revealed: ‘I spoke to Conor Chaplin, a fan favourite here, let him know about the interest, and he was more excited than me, I think! He was telling me how lucky I am to be coming down here and playing.

‘So I spoke to him, I spoke to Michael Jacobs, George Hirst, so there’s been a few, quite a few links that I’ve spoken to. Obviously, I spoke to Langy (Callum Lang) as well, got into him a little bit - so yeah, a few people, a few chats and they all had really positive comments to say about the club.’

Evans added: ‘It’s a real honour, a real privilege to sign for such a big football club and as soon as I knew the interest was there, I was desperate to get down here and be part of hopefully something special.

‘It’s been (in the pipeline) probably the past couple of weeks. We’ve been talking back and forth, came down start of the week, had a look around, did my medical. So yeah, it’s been over the past couple of weeks, and like I said, as soon as I heard that Portsmouth were interested - I had other interest - this was the club I wanted to join.’

Evans’ availability comes after he completed his rehab at Ipswich following surgery on a knee injury in October. The midfielder has been limited to just five appearances this season as a result. But after taking part in Pompey training on Friday, ahead of the Blues’ game against Oxford, the 29-year-old said he was looking to be involved as soon as possible.

‘Personally, (my aim) is to get myself 100-per-cent fit as fast as I can and just contribute as much as I can. Obviously, the team is doing really well, they’re playing good football and are sitting top of the league for a reason. So, yeah, I’ll be here for whenever the manager needs me and wants to play me.

‘My aim is to play as many minutes as possible from now until the end of the season.’