'Done deal' - Newcastle United first January transfer confirmed in official statement

The 29-year-old hasn’t played for Newcastle since December 2021 having had loan spells at Norwich City, Standard Liege and Queens Park Rangers in recent seasons. Now Hayden is back out on loan again at Portsmouth, who currently sit 21st in the Championship table.

The move was confirmed in official statements released by Newcastle and Portsmouth on Friday evening.

He remains under contract at St James’ Park until June 2026 but has been frozen out of the first-team set-up. Hayden has featured twice for Newcastle Under-21s this season after a summer move failed to materialise.

He recently switched his international allegiance to Jamaica, earning his first two caps back in November.

Following the loan signing of Hayden, Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho said: “Isaac is a central midfielder who has a wealth of experience in the Premier League and Championship.

“He’s extremely comfortable with the ball at his feet and is also very strong defensively, possessing a lot of the attributes we were looking for.

“But he’s also a leader both on and off the pitch, so we’re delighted to be able to add him to the squad for the rest of the season.”

Hayden joins up with his former Newcastle team-mate Matt Ritchie at Fratton Park, where he will wear the No. 18 shirt. Ritchie was released by The Magpies in the summer.

The midfielder made 171 appearances for Newcastle between 2016 and 2021, helping the club earn promotion from the Championship in his first season.