Derry City sign NI internationals Boyce and Whyte

Liam Boyce and Gavin Whyte, both from Northern Ireland, have signed for Derry City.

Boyce has a two-year contract with Scottish side Hearts, which he has been a part of since January 2020.

After leaving Championship side Portsmouth by mutual consent in August, Whyte has accepted a three-year contract with Brandywell.

Boyce helped the Edinburgh club reclaim the Scottish Premiership in 2021 with 36 goals in 120 games.

He also participated in the Scottish Cup finals of 2020 and 2022, both of which he scored as Hearts lost to Celtic, but his recovery has been slow in recent years due to knee and hamstring issues.

The Belfast-born forward started his professional career at Cliftonville, where he won two Irish Premiership titles and was named 2013 Ulster Footballer of the Year.

Boyce joined Ross County in 2014 and ended the 2016-17 as the Scottish Premiership’s leading scorer with 23 goals.

Prior to joining Hearts, he also spent three years with Burton Albion.

Boyce made his final 28 appearances for Northern Ireland in 2021, making his debut in 2011 with the team.

Boyce’s arrival, according to Lynch, was a “serious coup” for the club.

Whyte left Crusaders in 2018 after contributing significantly to the north Belfast side’s three-year Irish Premiership triumph.

Before joining League One side Oxford United, he received the 2017-2018 Ulster Footballer of the Year award.

After impressing at Oxford, the 28-year-old then signed for Cardiff City, but struggled.

He went out on six-month loan to Hull City, where he won promotion to the Championship, and had a year loan back at Oxford.

Whyte left Portsmouth in 2023 after earning promotion with Pompey for family reasons, with a host of Irish Premiership and League of Ireland clubs looking to secure his signature.

Coleraine boss Dean Shiels confirmed on Thursday that the Bannsiders were “interested” in Whyte but that he would be “really, really surprised” if a move materialised.

Lynch said that “every club in the country” was trying to sign Whyte.

According to him, “[his] plans regarding what we want to do and where we want to go probably most piqued his interest,” he told the club website.

He has played at the highest level, and his aggressive playposes the interest of the crowd, which is what playing at Brandywell is all about.

Whyte has won four goals in his 30 international caps, including a 3–0 win over Israel in his senior debut for Northern Ireland in September 2018.

After Shane Ferguson signed a one-year deal with the Brandywell in December, Boyce and Whyte join him there.