DERRY CITY MANAGER Declan Devine has made a late swoop in the transfer market to considerably strengthen his squad ahead of the new League of Ireland season with the addition of three players.
Former Real Madrid and Liverpool youth midfielder Gerardo Bruna, striker Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe and Darren Cole have all signed for the Candystripes ahead of the 2019 campaign.
After coming up through the Real Madrid youth system, Argentinian Bruna signed his first professional contract with Liverpool in 2008, but failed to make the breakthrough at Anfield.
Although he didn’t make a senior appearance for the Reds, Bruna was part of the Liverpool reserve side that won the Premier League in 2008 and has since had spells with Blackpool, Tranmere Rovers and Accrington Stanley.
The 28-year-old moves to the SSE Airtricity League from Canadian outfit Ottawa Fury, where he played 37 times in two-and-a-half seasons.
Bruna will bolster Devine’s midfield resources ahead of their Premier Division opener against newly-promoted UCD on Friday 15 February, while Ogedi-Uzokwe and Cole have also joined the Brandywell ranks.
24-year-old Ogedi-Uzokwe joins Derry on loan from English League Two side Colchester United after a recent spell with Bromley United, for whom he scored six goals during the first half of the campaign.
Cole, meanwhile, has resigned for City on a one-year deal having featured 50 times for the club since joining from Livingston in 2017.
New boss Devine has embarked on a strong recruitment drive over the course of the winter, with Barry McNamee returning from Cork City, Peter Cherrie also signing from the Rebels and Josh Kerr and David Parkhouse coming in on loan from Brighton and Sheffield United respectively.
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