American based club Portland Thorns have officially secured the signature of Super Falcons defender, Nicole Payne, acccording to soccernet.ng.
Payne, who joined Paris Saint Germain in July 2023, only managed to feature for the club four times. The transfer move was announced on the French-based club’s official channel.
Nicole Payne’s loan deal
The Portland-based club signed the 23 year old on a season-long loan deal until December 31, 2024, with an option to make the deal permanent.
“Nicole is an exciting addition to our roster, she is a defender first and foremost, but also has an incredible drive and desire to get forward and impact the game higher up the field.
“This coupled with her physical capabilities to do so, make her a very exciting asset for us,” Head Coach Mike Norris said as per timbers.com. “We look forward to welcoming Nicole to the Thorns family,” he added.
The American-born dual national came into limelight on the international stage when she made her debut appearance for the Nigeria women’s National Team in June of 2022 against Jamaica.
She also participated at the 2022 Women’s African Cup of Nations in Morocco, where she helped the team to a fourth-placed finish. Overall, she has made a total of seven appearances for the Super Falcons, including two starts.
Before moving to Europe, Payne developed her talents in the collegiate ranks at the University of Southern California, where she scored three goals in 16 games, mostly as a starter.
Prior to her time as a Trojan, she spent three successful years at West Virginia University, where she scored four goals and three assists in 53 matches, with two NCAA Tournament appearances under her belt.
Payne is the younger sister to Super Falcons and Sevilla player Toni Payne.
