Ghanaian goalkeeper Joseph Anang has made a shock return to Irish Premier Division side St Patrick's Athletic after his contract with English Premier League side West Ham United expired.
The 23-year-old has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Irish outfit, reuniting with the club where he spent six months on loan in 2022.
Anang, who is also an England youth international, had a brief stint at St Patrick's before returning to West Ham to help the club win the UEFA Conference League last season.
However, after seven years and limited first-team opportunities, the Ghanaian shot-stopper has left West Ham on a permanent basis.
The former England youth international is thrilled to be back at St Patrick's, where he believes he can continue to develop his skills.
"It's very good to be back at the club," he said. "St Pat's is where I played most of my senior games in my career so far, I feel I played my best football at Pat's during my loan in 2022, I really enjoyed my time here so I'm very excited."
Anang expressed gratitude to St Patrick's goalkeeper coach Pat Jennings for helping facilitate the move, which came about through natural conversations and discussions with his agents.
"The move came about very naturally to be fair, I always kept in touch with Pat Jennings (GK coach) after I left, having chats back and fourth. So as soon he heard that I was available, he got back in touch, and we had a conversation with Ger O'Brien and my agents about what a move back here could mean for me," he added.
