Portsmouth have had an exceptionally quick start to the summer transfer window, and they are poised to add a fourth new player to their squad in the space of two days.
Pompey were able to add plenty of League One experience in the form of goalkeeper Will Norris and defender Conor Shaughnessy from Burnley and Burton Albion respectively and have also added Bournemouth striker Christian Saydee to their ranks for an undisclosed fee.
Head coach John Mousinho looks set to be backed this summer by the club’s ownership, and another new addition could be confirmed in the very near future.
That is because according to reports in Northern Ireland from the Belfast Telegraph, the south coast outfit have won the battle for Glentoran’s 19-year-old central midfielder Terry Devlin after a transfer fee was agreed between the two clubs.
Who is Terry Devlin?
Devlin will be unknown to many English football fans but he has certainly been making a name for himself in his native country of Northern Ireland for Glentoran in the last year, but he started at their league rivals Dungannon Swifts.
The teenager made his senior debut for the Swifts in December 2019 just after he turned 16 years of age, going on to make eight appearances for the club in his debut season.
Devlin furthered his development with 11 outings the following season and then playing 24 times in the 2021-22 campaign for Dungannon.
2022-23 has been Devlin’s breakout campaign though as he joined Glentoran last August and quickly became a fully-fledged regular in the heart of the midfield, playing 45 matches across the season, scoring six times and assisting two goals.
Devlin also debuted for Northern Ireland’s under-21’s last year when starting in a 6-0 drubbing by Spain in a under-21 European Championship qualifier, but he could potentially be fast-tracked into the senior setup if he plays regular football in League One for Pompey.
Who have Portsmouth beat to Terry Devlin’s signature?
There was no shortage of competition for the 19-year-old’s services, with Portsmouth having to fend off Premier League interest in the end.
The Belfast Telegraph claim that Crystal Palace were keen to bring Devlin to England and into their development squad, whilst Championship pair Stoke City and Sunderland were also keen to add the talented teen.
Pompey also had their own divisional rivals in the battle too, with both Port Vale and Lincoln City losing out on Devlin to Fratton Park.