Ipswich Town striker Joe Pigott is completing a medical with Leyton Orient ahead of a proposed move to Brisbane Road, as per Football Insider.
Ipswich Town forward Pigott is down the pecking order at Portman Road and the door has been open for him to find a new club this summer. Rumours have circulated over where he could be heading and it has even been said that Town could bring an early end to his contract to let him move on a free transfer.
Now though, it seems Pigott is heading for League One new boys Leyton Orient.
Football Insider has said on Twitter that the 29-year-old is undergoing a medical with the O’s ahead of a move to Brisbane Road. There is no mention of a fee or whether the move will be permanent or temporary.
Should the move go through, Pigott will be returning to a division where he has scored 57 goals and laid on 17 assists in 224 games over the course of his career.
Best for all
Pigott isn’t in Kieran McKenna’s plans at Portman Road so it makes sense for him to head for pastures new this summer. He’s shown he can be a standout performer at League One level before from his time at AFC Wimbledon, so the hope will be that he can get back to his best with Orient.
His return of seven goals and three assists in 44 games with Portsmouth isn’t the most eye-catching but most of those appearances came as a substitute. He played second fiddle to Colby Bishop, so it will be intriguing to see just what he can manage if given a regular starting role by Richie Wellens’ side.
It makes for smart business for Orient too. They’re getting a player who is proven at the level, so they’ll be keen to get Pigott back to his dangerous best.
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Ipswich Town striker Joe Pigott is undergoing a medical at Leyton Orient, according to Pete O’Rourke from Football Insider.
The centre-forward, whose contract expires at the end of the season, spent last season on loan at Portsmouth, scoring four times in 35 League One appearances.
It now seems the 29-year-old will now be swapping Portman Road for Brisbane Road this summer.
Portsmouth manager John Mousinho confirmed he had an interest in bringing the Maidstone-born ban back to Fratton Park, who has become surplus to requirements as Ipswich head to the Championship.
Playing time may be a factor in his decision to choose East London over the South Coast, with the 37-year-old admitting he could not guarantee Pigott would play 46 league games this season.
Of the 44 games Pigott played in all competitions last year, he only started 16 games, due to the prolific form of Colby Bishop, who netted 24 goals.
Pigott enjoyed some of his best years in League One at AFC Wimbledon, finding the back of the net 47 times in 137 fixtures, including earning The Dons’ Player of the Year award for the 2020/21 season in which he scored 22 goals in all competitions.
He departed Plough Lane that summer in what he described as the “toughest decision” he had made in his career, turning down a new contract offer in the process.
The then 27-year-old signed a three-year deal at Ipswich, amid reported Championship interest, but failed to make a real impact in his first season in Suffolk, scoring just twice in 22 league outings.
A product of the Charlton academy, the 6ft forward has had Football League spells with the Addicks, Gillingham, Newport, Southend, Luton, and Cambridge before his move to Wimbledon.
The O’s beat Portsmouth to Pigott’s signature
Portsmouth boss John Mousinho highly rates the forward, but as reported in the East Anglian Daily Times, he admitted there may be a stumbling block over the number of minutes the former Wimbledon-man would play.
“We would be interested in bringing him back and I’ve had a conversation to Joe about that. It’s going to be a case of finances and what he wants to do.
“We really, really value what he did for us this season – and I’ve told him that. I thought he was excellent.
“When we used him as a nine he did really well, while when needed as a 10 or a wide left, as in the last game of the season, he was brilliant.
“He’ll now have interest from clubs that will want to play him for 46 games next year, but that probably isn’t the case here because of how well Colby has done. We want to be honest with Joe about that.”
Writer’s View
Pigott will be an excellent addition to Leyton Orient, who provides bags of experience at this level, as the O’s look to establish themselves in England’s third-tier.
It was always going to be a struggle for him to succeed at Ipswich, as he was the 7th of 19 summer additions in the overhaul of the Tractor Boys’ squad under Paul Cook, but played in the correct system, he has pedigree of scoring goals at this level, with a Portsmouth side aiming for promotion also interested in his services.
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