Portsmouth history maker and landmark Fratton Park signing seeking new club after non-league exit

A player assured of his place in Pompey history is on the lookout for a new club following his release from Eastleigh.

Nigel Atangana is among 12 out-of-contract performers released by the National League club after finishing 13th.

Now aged 34, the French midfielder has made 41 appearances this season, of which 31 were starts, but is not in the plans of boss Kelvin Davis.

It’s approaching a decade since Atangana joined Pompey from neighbours Havant & Waterlooville in a landmark transfer.

In June 2014, boss Andy Awford paid an undisclosed five-figure fee to capture the Frenchman, representing the first player purchase since coming out of administration 14 months earlier.

The fans saved their football club from liquidation at the High Court in April 2013, after joining forces with Portsmouth City Council and property developer Stuart Robinson to raise £3.12m.

Subsequently challenged to pay off loans and football creditors, it wasn’t until a year later before the Blues were in a position to buy players.

The historic signing was Atangana, who had shone with the Hawks, although the deal required approval from the Football League and PFA, who needed to remove existing transfer restrictions, a hangover from the club’s previous financial issues. 

The powerful midfielder made his debut as a substitute at Exeter on the opening day of the 2014-15 season, which resulted in a 1-1 draw.

He netted a maiden Football League goal at Cheltenham in December 2014 and totalled 35 appearances in his first Fratton Park season as the Blues finished a disappointing 16th.

The arrival of Paul Cook as boss in May 2015 saw Atangana initially included in his starting XI, including a memorable 3-0 success over Dagenham & Redbridge in the first match of 2015-16.

However, after starting the opening eight League Two games alongside Michael Doyle, he soon fell out of favour and was sold to Leyton Orient for an undisclosed fee in January 2016.

He totalled 48 matches and one goal for Pompey, later also seeing service with Cheltenham and Exeter, helping the latter to promotion from League Two.

In August 2022, Atangana joined Eastleigh following his release from the Grecians, spending the next two seasons there.

However, having started last weekend’s 3-0 home defeat to Halifax in their final match of the campaign, he was let go as Spitfires boss Davis initiated an overhaul.

Although former Pompey loan strikers Chris Maguire and Paul McCallum both remain, being under contract.

Incidentally, Pompey’s second transfer fee paid of the post-administration era was James Dunne.

He arrived a week after Atangana in a five-figure sum from Stevenage and, 10 years later, is now with Chatham Town in the Isthmian League Premier Division.