Tiernan Lynch hails Derry City's new transfer strategy

TIERNAN Lynch reckons the 'future is very bright' for Derry City Football Club based on the recent business in the summer transfer window.

The appointment of Director of Football Mark Connolly coincided with a change in the club's transfer policy regarding the age profile and experience of recent signings, not to mention the Board's willingness to pay fees for players under contract at high profile clubs in England, Ireland and most recently Finland.

Derry City manager Tiernan Lynch says the future is bright for the club.

placeholder image — Derry City manager Tiernan Lynch says the future is bright for the club.

Since former City captain Connolly arrived in June, Derry has revved up its transfer activity and signed FIVE new players including Ellis Chapman [Shelbourne], Christy Grogan [Stockport], Tom Norcott [on loan from Reading], Darragh Burns [Grimsby Town] and Brooklyn Lyons-Foster [HJK Helsinki].

All five players are aged 25 or under and both Burns and Chapman have plenty of League of Ireland experience under their belts.

Lynch integrated the new signings into the squad over the past couple of weeks during significant European and FAI Cup ties and the Belfast man has been impressed with the calibre of players the club has attracted.

After a huge turnover of players since his arrival at the club at the start of the 2025 season, Lynch acknowledges that a change in approach regarding its transfer activity was needed, suggesting the club isn't finished 'by any stretch' with a striker understood to be the top priority.

"I read something during the week about Shamrock Rovers and it's all about building and it's incremental blocks and little bits at a time," said Lynch. "We've had huge change over the last two years during my time here. Huge change. Huge turnover of players and I know it's hugely frustrating, but what we're now starting to do is look like we're starting to have the makings of a squad that we're going to build on for the next three, four, five years.

"Good ages, hungry, want to be coached, want to be better and in my opinion even watching that performance [against Rijecka last Thursday in Croatia] and the changes we made, and I don't think we're finished by any stretch, but I think the future is very bright for Derry City Football Club."