St Patrick’s Athletic have once again dipped into the loan market for a goalkeeper to sign Joe Anang from West Ham United.
The 21-year-old will spend the full season at Richmond Park following a six-months stint with Stevenage in League Two.
Anang, an England under-20 international, made 18 appearances for Stevenage, keeping five clean sheets, before his loan was cut short earlier this month to facilitate his move to the Saints.
The keeper, who is also eligible for country of birth Ghana, was a Hammers teammate of Alfie Lewis, who recently left the Saints to join League One Plymouth Argyle .
Anang will look to fill the considerable gap left by their FAI Cup-winning keeper Vitezslav Jaros , last season’s player of the year, who returned to Liverpool before joining Notts County on loan yesterday.
He's Athletic manager Tim Clancy's third new loan signing after Preston North End's Adam O'Reilly and Wolves' Jack Scott, while James Abankwah will remain in Inchicore on loan before going to Udinese in the summer .
Pats kick off their 2022 Premier Division on Friday, February 18 with a trip to newly-promoted Shelbourne at Tolka Park.
"It feels very good to be here. I know St Pat's is one of the biggest clubs in Ireland and I'm really excited to be here,” Anang told the club’s website.
“I heard about the interest a couple of weeks ago and I spoke to Alfie Lewis, who I played with at West Ham, he loved his time in Ireland and said great things about St Pat's.
“Having spoken to the club and found out about the league, it was a no brainer for me to come here."
West Ham senior goalkeeper coach Xavi Valero stressed that Anang is at a stage of his development where he needs consistent games and Saints fit the bill.
He said: “He needs to play. He has been to Stevenage in the first part of the season, he has played 18 games, and now he needs to gain more experience.
“He’s been with England U18s and U20s. He’s a good prospect and, at this stage, he’s been through the West Ham U18s and U23s.
“The next stage is to go play on loan and prove yourself and keep developing your game and character as a professional goalkeeper.”
Saints boss Tim Clancy said: "We are delighted to get a goalkeeper the calibre of Joseph into the club. He has huge potential & comes with excellent recommendations.
“Pat Jennings (goalkeeper coach) has had Joseph on the radar & to be able to secure his services is massive for us. We are all really looking forward to working with him."
