Sunderland have missed out in their pursuit of Glentoran’s Terry Devlin.
The Belfast Telegraph have confirmed that the Northern Ireland youngster completed his medical at Portsmouth yesterday, with an official announcement expected today.
The teenager impressed in the NIFL Premiership last season, bagging four goals in 34 appearances as they finished in third place.
Devlin quickly became a fan favourite in Belfast and was seen as one that could certainly make the transition over to English football, with it now looking all but confirmed that he will ply his trade in League One.
Sunderland were reportedly one of a number of clubs chasing Devlin’s signature, with Crystal Palace, Stoke, Port Vale and Lincoln City also interested in the 19-year-old.
However, the Black Cats have failed in their bid to lure him to Wearside, despite the success of Northern Ireland international Trai Hume who joined from Linfield last year.
Sunderland will snap up plenty more future stars
Sunderland‘s failure to bring Terry Devlin to the Stadium of Light shouldn’t be frowned upon, as he is just one of many youngsters the club will be targeting.
The Black Cats are only open to signing young players who want to play for Sunderland and that is why they won’t blink at Devlin’s move to Pompey and will instead look elsewhere to build on the club’s exciting future.
Despite the Northern Irishman’s move south, Wearside has become a place for youth stars to grow and develop and there is no doubt that they will continue to attract talent this summer.
Hume’s exceptional season in red and white surely would have been in the back of Devlin’s mind, but perhaps he wanted guaranteed first team football and he was able to get that in League One.
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