Outspoken Peterborough United chairman’s frustration on losing out to Portsmouth for attacking starlet and turning down Fratton deal
The prolific striker turned down Peterborough United in favour of the Championship and Fratton Park. Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony talks losing out on the talent - and turning down chance to sign Blues’ former Reading man.
Darragh MacAnthony has aired his disappointment at losing out to Pompey in the transfer deadline race for Makenzie Kirk.
And the outspoken Peterborough chairman believes the striker turned down a move to London Road to ‘sit on the bench’ at Fratton Park, as the Northern Ireland prospect joined John Mousinho’s men in the Championship.
MacAnthony: ‘Agent and dad wanted him to go and sit on the bench’
The Blues enjoyed a fruitful finale to the summer window, with four deadline-day arrivals taking their total new faces this summer to 11.
Conor Chaplin’s homecoming was the eye-catching final business of the day, with keeper Josef Bursik and winger Franco Umeh also arriving at PO4. Pompey also brought in St Johnstone rising star Kirk, after The News revealed interest in the emerging attacker last month.
The 21-year-old made the breakthrough in the Scottish Premier League last term, bagging 11 goals in all competitions to see his star rise.
The Posh, who have a rich history of identifying and developing attacking talent, were on Kirk’s trail but it was a move to Fratton Park which appealed to the player after both clubs had bids accepted by the Perth outfit.
That led to a three-year deal being sealed by Pompey, as the under-21 international bolstered Mousinho’s attacking options.
Losing out on Kirk was a cause of consternation for MacAnthony, as he intimated when speaking in the latest episode of his The Hard Truth - Inside the Football Industry podcast.
That was one of two deals for strikers which collapsed for the Posh, as the Pompey new boy opted for a Championship move.
MacAnthony said: ‘I did two magnificent deals in the final week of the window where I was completely re-energising our striker department. Both deals fell apart, two days in a row,
‘I can’t mention clubs or names but I was buying pretty much the EFL leading goalscorer - I had a deal to sign him. But my gaffer spoke to a few people and didn’t want me to do the deal.
‘I did a deal for a boy outside the English league but, you know, his agent and dad wanted him to go and sit on the bench somewhere else outside of our league.
‘Also where we are in the league didn’t help. They were two days in a row.’
Peterborough could’ve landed former Reading favourite from Pompey
Meanwhile, MacAnthony revealed Peterborough also turned down the chance to bring in a Pompey player towards the end of the summer window.
Out-of-favour defender Tom McIntyre was looking for a new home, as he searched for the regular football he can’t find at Fratton Park.
MacAnthony explained his side could have brought in the former Reading man, before the centre-back joined Bradford City - who have started the season impressively in League One.
He added: ‘We were offered him (McIntyre) a couple of weeks ago, it’s a good signing (for Bradford).’