Stockport County is delighted to announce we have agreed terms for the transfer of Colchester United’s Jay Mingi, who will join the club once the transfer window has opened subject to EFL approval.
The 23-year-old will become our first signing of the Summer, joining for an undisclosed fee and penning a three-year-deal at Edgeley Park.
A versatile, front-foot player capable of playing in midfield and in defence, Mingi joins the club after a strong second-half of the season under Danny Cowley at Colchester, with his performances helping to secure the Essex side’s EFL status.
The former West Ham academy product has experience of playing in League One too during spells at Charlton Athletic and Portsmouth. During his time with the latter at Fratton Park he made 29 appearances across two seasons from 2021-2023, scoring his first goal in League football in a win over Forest Green Rovers in October 2022.
Last Summer, he turned down a new deal with Pompey to complete a move to Colchester, who he made 28 appearances for in all competitions last season. It was under the management of former Huddersfield Town boss Cowley, appointed in January, that Mingi really began to excel, after being moved from midfield into defence to become a key figure for a Us side that lost just six times in their final 20 games of the campaign.
Having impressed with his performance against County in our win at the JobServe Community Stadium in April, Jay becomes Dave Challinor’s first addition of the transfer window, as he begins preparation for life in League One next season.
First-Team Manager, Dave Challinor said:
“Jay had a fantastic back end of the League Two season at Colchester and showed his versatility and intelligence, switching from a familiar central midfield role to a wide centre back, right back and right wing back at times.
“We believe he has real potential to develop, whilst immediately having the physical characteristics of being front foot, aggressive and quick, which will allow him to flourish in League One as he has done previously. We are really looking forward to working with him and settling him into the squad from day one of pre-season.”
Director of Football, Simon Wilson said:
“Jay is a player we’ve known about for some time, who has always shown flashes of high potential, although without regular playing time you were unable to see it on a consistent basis.
“That changed in the second half of the season where he excelled for Colchester, playing in a defensive role but with a real front foot approach which as supporters know, we like here at County.
“We see the potential for him to support the team in 2-3 positions and with his age and athletic qualities, we believe he has the potential to play higher.”
Watch Jay’s first interview here:
