Portsmouth are set to bring in defensive reinforcements to the club as they have reportedly agreed a deal with free-agent defender Conor Shaughnessy, according to Andrew Moon via his Twitter.
The defender has spent the last two seasons with fellow League One club Burton Albion, making 62 appearances for the Brewers and scoring four times during his stay at the Pirelli Stadium.
The club have been keen to bring in defensive options, with talk of a permanent move for Di’Shon Bernard, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Fratton Park. They have had chances of making that signature a reality with the defender released from his contract with Premier League side Manchester United.
The defender is versatile, with appearances in central midfield during his stay with Burton Albion, as well as in the back line. The Irish defender featured three times in defensive midfield for Burton last season.
Shaughnessy joined the Brewers in 2021 following his departure from Leeds United. While at Elland Road, he went out on loan on four occasions, featuring for Hearts, Mansfield Town, Rochdale and Burton Albion. He progressed through the youth ranks of Reading before joining Leeds United.
Portsmouth also lost Clark Robertson from their defensive options as he departed the club upon the expiration of his contract. The Scottish defender now plies his trade in Israel for F.C. Ashdod.
Shaughnessy featured 19 times for Burton last season, scoring on one occasion but is now free to leave with his contract running up and Andrew Moon reports the 26-year-old is set to make the switch to Fratton Park for his next challenge.
John Mousinho is preparing his side for a promotion push next season, with the side finishing eighth in their most recent campaign which the Portuguese joined halfway through, replacing Danny Cowley in January.
The defender was part of the Burton side that lost at Fratton Park this season when Dane Scarlett broke Brewers fans hearts with his stoppage-time winner. And in the second game of the season, Shaughnessy was dismissed after just 49 seconds for a foul on Bristol Rovers Aaron Collins, a game that Albion went on to lose 4-0.
Writer’s View
A good signing for Portsmouth as they look to prepare for a new season, they narrowly missed out last season and with the way the division looks on paper, they should certainly be up there come the end of next season. With that being said, Portsmouth will need a few more signings if they are to challenge for promotion.
