Conor Chaplin’s return to his boyhood club Portsmouth on a season-long loan has been confirmed.
TWTD revealed this afternoon that Chaplin was set to make a shock move back to his local club, six and a half years after departing Fratton Park and four years after joining the Blues from Barnsley.
There is a recall clause in the deal which could see the attacker come back to Portman Road in January. His Town contract is up next summer but with the club having an option for a further season.
It’s understood Chaplin was keen to play week in, week out, something which wasn’t guaranteed at Town in the campaign ahead, and when the possibility of a move back to Pompey emerged, the Worthing-born attacker was interested in pursuing it and the club helped facilitate the loan switch. Had it been any other side, the Blues may not have given the greenlight to the move.
"I’m sure that Conor doesn’t really need any introduction to the Pompey faithful,” Pompey boss John Mousinho told his club’s official website.
"This is a deal that I know everyone’s going to be excited about and we’re grateful to Ipswich for loaning him to us.
"We’re delighted to bring in someone who’s a proven Championship goalscorer and was part of a side that recently enjoyed an outstanding season at this level.
"With the fact that he’s at the prime of his career – along with the history he has here – it’s a brilliant signing for us.”
Chaplin, who joins former Blues midfielder Andre Dozzell at Pompey, was a key player in Kieran McKenna’s back-to-back promotion-winning side having signed for his old Pompey boss Paul Cook in the summer of 2021, making a total of 127 starts and 47 sub appearances, scoring 55 times.
https://x.com/Pompey/status/1962615283023020041
Chaplin, who came through the ranks at Portsmouth before moving on to Coventry in January 2019, was joint-top scorer in League One in the 2022/23 campaign, netting 23 times, plus three more in cup competitions.
That season he was named Town’s Player of the Year and the EFL’s League Player of the Year and was included in the EFL and PFA’s League One Teams of the Season.
He also made a strong contribution to the Championship promotion season which followed, scoring 13 times.
The 28-year-old’s involvement was more limited in the Premier League in 2024/25, although he still made 12 starts and 10 sub appearances, scoring once.
Chaplin is one of four senior deadline-day departures, along with Chieo Ogbene, whose loan move to Sheffield United was confirmed earlier, Luke Woolfenden, who is moving to Coventry, and Ali Al-Hamadi, who is departing for Luton, initially on loan.
With Conor Townsend not being registered due to his ACL injury, the Blues are now down to the required 25 players aged above 21 for their Championship squad.
Chaplin’s exit is Town’s last business of what’s been a seismic transfer window for the Blues which has seen the departure of many of the stars of the back-to-back promotion seasons.
In addition to deadline-day departures, skipper Sam Morsy, Massimo Luongo, Nathan Broadhead, Axel Tuanzebe, Marcus Harness, Cameron Burgess and Omari Hutchinson have moved on from the double promotion squad, along with Liam Delap and Aro Muric from last summer's signings, a total of 14 permanent exits, plus four loanees going back to their clubs, although with one of those, Jens Cajuste, returning for a second season.
The Blues signed 11 senior players on a permanent or loan basis - development squad member Luca Fletcher the only recruit on deadline day, from Manchester City initially on loan - with manager Kieran McKenna having admitted that he now has the job of rebuilding his team during a season when much is expected of his side.
In addition to Cajuste, Ivan Azon, Chuba Akpom and Cedric Kipre joined on loan, while David Button, Azor Matusiwa, Sindre Walle Egeli, Ashley Young, Darnell Furlong, Kasey McAteer and Marcelino Nunez all signed on a permanent basis.