According to reports, Peterborough’s approach for a player associated with Pompey this month was denied.
Chris Conn-Clarke, an attacking midfielder for Altrincham in the National League, has gained a lot of attention this season. His 23 goals and 12 assists helped Moss Lane make the playoffs. The 22-year-old was also chosen to the National League Team of the Season.
The Blues, Posh, Ipswich, and Mansfield were all keeping an eye on the Northern Ireland under-21 international. According to Mail Online, Peterborough have increased their interest in the former Fleetwood player by making a bid. However, the same report adds that the League One club’s original request has been rejected.
The beaten League One play-off semi-finalists have a solid recent track record of finding and developing hidden gems in non-league ranks. Ephron Mason-Clark was recruited from Barnet in 2016, Joe Randell from Weymouth in 2019, and Ronnie Edwards from the Bees in 2020. Welling United forward David Kamara is poised to join London Road when the transfer window opens next month.
Pompey have experimented in the market, with Jamal Lowe being their most recent profitable signing from that level of English football. But if it’s a road they want to take this summer before returning to the Championship and are interested in Conn-Clarke, Posh have beaten them to the punch – even if Altincham turned down their bid.
MailOnline quotes Robins manager Phil Parkinson as saying: ‘I would love to promise everyone that Chris will be with us next season, but, in all honesty, I can’t. When a player performs as well as he has in terms of goals and assists, bigger teams will come calling, and it will be tough to prevent that natural progression from occurring. If he’s still with us at the start of next season, I’ll have the biggest smile you’ve ever seen. If not, I won’t be as amazed.
Conn-Clarke’s contract with Altrincham is up in two years; he joined on a free transfer from Fleetwood last summer.
