Portsmouth are reportedly interested in signing Glentoran central midfielder Terry Devlin, but face competition from several EFL and Premier League sides, as reported by The News.
Pompey haven’t wasted much time in building their squad for the upcoming season with the club already adding Burton’s Conor Shaughnessy, Burnley’s Will Norris and Bournemouth’s Christian Saydee, as well as being linked with Australian striker Kusini Yengi of Western Sydney Wanderers.
Who is Terry Devlin?
Devlin is a 19-year-old central midfielder who hails from Cookstown in Northern Ireland and represents Glentoran in the Danske Bank Premiership.
The Northern Ireland under 21 international, began his career at Dungannon Swifts, debuting in the 2019-20 season and went on to feature 47 times for the Stangmore Park outfit.
He would leave County Tyrone for 23-time league champions Glentoran just four games into the 2022-23 season. He would add 28 Premiership appearances in the regular season and five more after the league split, as The Glens would finish 3rd after 38 games.
Devlin’s primary position is in the centre of the park but he has also operated in a more defensive role as well as playing further up the pitch.
Writer’s View
Portsmouth are making early moves in the transfer market as John Mousinho looks to build a squad to challenge for promotion next season. It seems the manager is focussing on strengthening the spine of his team initially with a goalkeeper and defender already through the door and rumours around a midfielder and a forward.
Both Yengi and Devlin will command fees due to the lengths of their contracts, so it appears as though the club are backing their manager in the market.
The Irish market is one well-travelled by English clubs, as I discussed in a previous article, as bargains are sought to be developed and sold on for profit. Devlin is another strong product from over the Irish Sea who has played in almost 100 senior matches so is experienced and is still only 19, meaning he can be used in the first team immediately and has plenty of time to develop.
A primary school teacher turned writer, Tom has been part of The Real EFL for two years. He focuses on predictions, deep dives, and insightful content.
