Glentoran 'should be competing at the top of the league' - Daniel Larmour has big goals after Irish League transfer

The 26-year-old centre-back arrives at The Oval club for an undisclosed fee from Premiership rivals Crusaders on a three-year contract – marking a fourth signing of the summer for Declan Devine’s squad.

Larmour joins Liam Burt, Jordan Stewart and Pat Hoban as fresh faces.

“As soon as I knew Glentoran were interested I wanted to make the move,” said Larmour, who grew up in the Castlereagh area of East Belfast. “The opportunity to pull on the shirt and represent the Glens was something I was never going to turn down.

“When I sat down with Declan, I was hugely impressed by the project he is delivering here and the role he sees for me within it.

"The ambition, the standards, the professionalism, everything about the club is top class and I have no doubt it will help take my game to the next level.

“Glentoran is a massive club with huge expectations...it should be competing at the top of the league, challenging for silverware and qualifying for Europe every season.

"That is exactly what I want to be part of.

“I have spoken a lot to ‘Sukka’ (Stewart) and he could not speak highly enough of the dressing room and the environment here.

"He told me it is full of character, quality and a real hunger to succeed.

“I cannot wait to walk out at the BetMcLean Oval as a Glentoran player and play in front of the supporters.”

Larmour also counts Carrick Rangers and Glenavon on his CV as previous clubs having made over 200 senior career appearances.

“Daniel is a player who really impressed me when we came up against Crusaders last season,” said manager Devine. “He was already on my list of targets before he became available, so once we were aware he could leave, we moved quickly.

“When we spoke to our own forwards and wide players about the toughest defenders they faced last season, Daniel’s name came up again and again.

"That backed up the data and analysis we had already done and confirmed he was someone we had to bring in.

“He is strong, composed and experienced and he is entering the prime of his career.

"He brings real quality and depth to a key area of the team and is someone I know will kick on in our professional environment.

“From our very first conversation, it was clear how much he wanted to be here.

"He has fully bought into our vision, understands how we want to play and is committed to helping us move forward.

“Daniel is a top professional with a brilliant attitude.

"The fans are going to love having him in a Glentoran shirt and there is no doubt we will be a stronger side with him at the back.”

Glentoran’s squad work towards a competition 2025/26 campaign has also included contracts for Marcus Kane, Josh Kelly, Charlie Lindsay and Jordan Jenkins – plus pro terms for Academy prospects Jude Johnson, Ciaran Rogers Duffy and Cal Weatherup.

“We are absolutely delighted to bring Daniel to Glentoran,” said Glentoran sporting director Paul Millar. “I know him very well from our time together at Glenavon and I’m fully aware of the qualities he brings both on and off the pitch.

“Once we knew he was available, we moved quickly to get the deal done...he is a natural defender who reads the game well, competes physically and has developed into a real leader over the past few years.

“Daniel had other options, but from our very first conversation it was clear how much this move meant to him...his attitude throughout the process has been outstanding.

“He is exactly the type of player we want at Glentoran – he is East Belfast born-and-bred, has real Premiership experience, a winning mentality and a hunger to keep improving.

"We have secured him at the right time as he enters the peak years of his career and I’ve no doubt he will be a key figure for this club over the next few seasons.

“I would like to thank our owner Ali Pour for his continued backing.

"Once again he has shown his full support for Declan and our ambition to build a squad capable of competing for major honours.”