‘He deserves it’: Portsmouth boss discusses Terry Devlin’s future amid £2m Wrexham bid
Wrexham came in for Terry Devlin in the January transfer window, with the big spenders backed by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Pompey boss John Mousinho responds to that situation and the future of the big fans’ favourite.
John Mousinho is adamant Terry Devlin has not been distracted by the speculation over his Pompey future amid Wrexham's pursuit.
And the Blues boss insisted if the huge fans’ favourite earns a big-money transfer moving forward, it will be something the Northern Ireland international fully deserves.
Pompey boss responds to Wrexham bid for Terry Devlin
Devlin was the subject of late-window interest from the big-spending Welsh outfit, with a £2m offer mooted.
Mousinho made it clear Pompey were not interested in entertaining a deal for the 22-year-old, who has now established himself as his side’s first-choice right-back option.
The Blues head coach gave an insight into Devlin’s character, and couldn’t be more confident the former Glentoran and Dungannon Swifts man is focussed on the side he joined in the summer of 2023.
Devlin has a deal which runs until the summer of 2028, with Pompey having good protection over their asset.
Mousinho feels if his player was to earn a lucrative deal moving forward, it would be recognition for his ongoing professionalism.
He said: ‘I haven’t talked to Terry (about Wrexham’s interest), but he’s absolutely fine.
‘Terry is the most straightforward player I’ve ever worked with, so I didn’t need to muddy the waters at all.
‘There’s one massive reason Terry has gone from where he was in Northern Ireland, and the five-figure fee we paid for him playing a bit part in our promotion, to progressing to being one of the first names on the team-sheet in the Championship.
‘There’s a reason for that. He gets his head down and he doesn’t complain. He asks why he’s not in the team when he’s not in the team, then takes what I say and works on it relentlessly.
‘You’ll see him out on the training pitch every day when we’re telling him to go in, he does everything right in the gym. He lives his life right and he is going to have a very good career because of that.
Mousinho on Devlin: ‘If he moves on he deserves it’
‘When you’ve got players as straightforward as that, there’s no need to mess about.
‘Terry will be fully committed to us for as long as he’s at the football club. If he moves on sooner than his contract then fair play to him, because he deserves it.’
Mousinho hinted at previous interest in Devlin when discussing his current situation, in a season where he’s moved in front of Zak Swanson and Jordan Williams in the right-back pecking order - starting the past 11 games on the spin.
He added: ‘There’s a distinct difference between a couple of those conversations in the summer.
‘Terry’s played pretty much every game over the past couple of months and has been outstanding.
‘Yes we have some other options there, but right now Terry is our number one choice.’