Portsmouth would have caused 'outrage' if £2m Terry Devlin, Wrexham deal happened | OneFootball

FLW's Pompey fan pundit has reacted to the news which linked Terry Devlin with a late switch to Wrexham on deadline day

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Portsmouth were able to survive the January transfer window without losing one of their key men, Terry Devlin, despite there being interest from fellow Championship side Wrexham.

Football League World exclusively revealed on deadline day that the Red Dragons were pushing for a move for the 22-year-old right-back, with Pompey demanding £2 million for his services.

Portsmouth were able to squeeze a club record fee out of Preston North End for wideman Callum Lang, which, given Milutin Osmajic arrived at Deepdale in 2023 for £2.1 million, would have been over the asking price for Devlin.

Therefore, understandably, Pompey fans aren't very pleased with the price tag on one of the brighter stars, who is enjoying a breakout year as John Mousinho's first-choice right-back in his third full campaign at the club.

Devlin has started 10 consecutive games following a one-match suspension against Bristol City towards the end of November, and has scored more goals in the opening half of this season (3) than he had done in his entire Pompey career beforehand.

So, there's an expectation that the Northern Irishman will go from strength to strength, and FLW's Portsmouth fan pundit, Miltos Ioannidis, is expecting him to depart for a lot more than £2 million if he does leave in a future window.

Portsmouth fan pundit reacts to late Wrexham push for Terry Devlin

Soccer Football - League One - Portsmouth v Wigan Athletic - Fratton Park, Portsmouth, Britain - April 20, 2024 Portsmouth's Terry Devlin and Gavin Whyte celebrate with the trophy after winning League One Action Images/Andrew Couldridge NO USE WITH UNAUTHORIZED AUDIO, VIDEO, DATA, FIXTURE LISTS, CLUB/LEAGUE LOGOS OR 'LIVE' SERVICES. ONLINE IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 45 IMAGES, NO VIDEO EMULATION. NO USE IN BETTING, GAMES OR SINGLE CLUB/LEAGUE/PLAYER PUBLICATIONS.

Ioannidis never actually fretted about the news breaking on deadline day linking Devlin to play-off hopefuls Wrexham, as he felt that a move so late on for someone so important to Pompey's survival hopes wouldn't have gone down well with the fanbase at all.

He also doesn't believe that the 22-year-old would have left for the reported £2 million price tag, as he values him at at least double that fee.

"I never actually thought that Devlin would go," the fan pundit said. "I think, given how crucial a player he is, the outrage of the fans would have been crazy, had he left on deadline day.

"Also, I think that the reported £2 million price tag Pompey had put on him is bizarre. I don't think he's worth anywhere near that amount...I'd go ahead and say he's worth at least double, and close to £5 million.

"We're talking about probably our biggest asset at the club at the minute. A young player who is getting better and better, keeps improving himself at this level, and has been our most consistent performer this season, in my opinion."

"There's no way in a million years he's worth £2 million."

Pompey manager John Mousinho squashed any rumours that Devlin would be departing in a press conference on deadline day, stating that "He'll be here tomorrow (past the deadline)."

While a lot of Portsmouth fans took that as gospel, Ioannidis took it with a pinch of salt. Mousinho previously stated that the club likely weren't going to sign a striker before bringing in Jacob Brown.

Nevertheless, he didn't think that Devlin would depart, regardless.

"John Mousinho said in his press conference that he fully expected Devlin to stay and be an important player, but he said that we weren't going to sign a striker, and we did, so you can't trust anyone, can you?" he remarked.

"But I never thought that Devlin would do, and I for sure think that he's worth more than the reported fee."

Portsmouth fan pundit reflects general Pompey consensus about Terry Devlin's price tag

Evidently, Ioannidis believes that Devlin is one of the more important players at the club, and his views are reflected by the majority of those inside Fratton Park.

Pompey's performances are improving, bar the 5-0 drubbing by Bristol City, for which Devlin was suspended, and that's come during the extended run in the team that the 22-year-old has been afforded.

It seems increasingly likely that Portsmouth are once again going to be mounting a charge up the table during the second half of the campaign, and having been a fringe player in that run last season, Devlin has grown into one of the key men this year.

There's no doubt that, if Devlin keeps on this trajectory, the four-capped Northern Ireland international will move on to bigger things in the future, and there'll be increased interest from top-end Championship sides, window by window.

But Ioannidis and the rest of the Pompey fanbase will be hoping that the club will recoup a lot more than just £2 million for his services as and when that time comes.