|
The money-go-round
By Robert Brennan
 January
signals the transfer window, with it the usual merry-go-round. Several
Irish players have been linked with moves and will be looking to secure
first team football, with an eye on the Brazil friendly in February and
a new manager to impress.
The large Irish contingent at Sunderland may well be broken up with Roy
Keane set to splash on up to six new players including one current Irish
international.
Stephen Hunt has been linked with a move to the North East. The Reading
man has been in wonderful form in recent weeks and Steve Coppell will
be keen to keep hold of the scruffy winger but Sunderland could be an
attractive option for Hunt with the obvious Irish connections and a more
lucrative contract.
A former Reading teammate of Hunt’s may well be joining him at the
Stadium of Light Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell could head north having
failed to hold down a first-team spot at Stamford Bridge.
Keane has been scouring football grounds on the look-out for reinforcements.
“Sidwell is a good player but we are looking everywhere for them,”
he said.
Keane has been strongly linked with a raid on his former club Manchester
United for defenders Phil Bardsley and Northern Ireland international
Jonny Evans.
Keane will battle it out with Bryan Robson’s Sheffield United for
Aston Villa’s Gary Cahill if he is deemed surplus to requirements
by Martin O’Neill.
Cahill was mentioned as a potential Irish international but has since
represented the England under-21 side.
Bobo Balde, who is well down the pecking order at Celtic Park, may well
make the move to the Black Cats having grown frustrated by his lack of
first-team opportunities under Gordon Strachan so far this season.
Charlton midfielder Andy Reid is a potential target although his fitness
level would not be tolerated by Keane. Paul McShane, Liam Miller and Ian
Harte will be entrusted with keeping the Black Cats safe.
Anthony Stokes and Roy O’Donovan will need to grab any first-team
opportunities as Sunderland look to pull away from the relegation places.
Irish fans will be hoping youngsters Gavin Donoghue and Billy Dennehy
can make the breakthrough in 2008.
Darryl Murphy, Graham Kavanagh and David Connolly are set to be the casualties
of Keane’s spending spree.
Waterford United are set to see their coffers boosted by E140,000 if as
expected Murphy’s transfer to QPR goes ahead.
It seems certain Rangers will fork out E1.4million for Murphy which will
hand United their welcome booty.
The fee between the London club and Waterford has been agreed and it is
now just up to Murphy to agree terms.
Leicester manager Ian Holloway hopes to beat Derby, Norwich and Sheffield
Wednesday to the signature of midfielder Kavanagh.
Kavanagh joined Sheffield Wednesday in September on a loan deal to regain
his fitness having been troubled by a knee injury. He may be given the
opportunity to stake a claim for a first-team place at Sunderland when
Dickson Etuhu is away on African Nations Cup duty with Nigeria.
Glenn Whelan, who Kavanagh teamed up with at Wednesday, has been linked
with a move to Stoke City and Premiership side Bolton Wanderers.
David Connolly has barely got a look in this season. His goalscoring record
at Championship level is very good and he may move down a level to secure
first-team football.
Irish fans will be delighted to see Sunderland’s Clive Clarke back
on the football pitch. Clarke says he is “chomping at the bit”
to get back despite the fact that medics still have no idea what brought
on a life-threatening heart seizure during a game in August.
The 27-year-old, who suffered two cardiac arrests, insists he has no plans
to hang up his boots and is looking forward to making a return to action
in the coming weeks.
“What happened was terrible and will stay with me but I’ve
got to get back out on to the pitch,” he said.
Newcastle United have been linked with a move £1million move for
Ipswich Town’s Irish winger Jonathan Walters despite Sam Allardyce
selling the player when he was Bolton manager.
Walters has been in fine goalscoring form this season having found the
net 12 times from midfield which included his first ever hat-trick in
the 6-0 win over Bristol City in November.
Fellow Irish midfielder Owen Garvan may follow Walters out of Portman
Road.
West Ham United manager Alan Curbishley is weighing up a £1.5million
move for the Irish under-21 star.
Garvan will not turn 20 until the end of January but has already amassed
significant experience with Ipswich, having made more than 80 first-team
appearances. And he comes with pedigree — grandfather Con Martin
was a Republic of Ireland captain while uncle Mick Martin played for both
Manchester United and Ireland in the 1970s and ’80s.
Alan Curbishley is apparently close to securing the services of Newcastle’s
former Spurs full-back Stephen Carr. The 31-year-old has found it hard
to get into Big Sam’s first X1 and would jump at the chance to move
back to the capital.
Damien Duff will be hoping for an injury-free 2008 and Irish fans will
be hoping he can recapture the form which he showed at Chelsea.
Reading goalkeeper Graham Stack wants to make his loan move to Wolves
permanent next month while QPR are also rumoured to be interested in the
former Arsenal man.
Mick McCarthy will be hoping Darron Gibson’s loan stay is extended
beyond January and can expect interest from Premiership clubs in striker
Andy Keogh in the New Year.
Dubliner Kevin O’Connor, the brother or Burnley’s James, is
likely to be loaned out in January. The midfielder has been sidelined
through injury and has been linked with Gillingham.
McCarthy stated that the Premiership is the aim for this season so expect
McCarthy to splash the cash in January.
In the Premiership John O’Shea will also be hoping to lay down his
best position as he has become a utility player in recent seasons which
has been evident when playing for Ireland with some very poor performances.
A name for Irish fans to look out for in the United youth team is Chris
Fagan.
Fagan is a striker who likes to drop deep and find space to create or
score goals.
Fagan was spotted playing for Home Farm in Dublin and invited over to
Manchester United for a trial.
After impressing the club he made the decision to move over to England.
Rivals Liverpool will welcome back a fully-fit Steve Finnan in the New
Year. Finnan declared that he will be available for selection for Ireland
and the new manager must surely play him in his favoured right-back role
where he has impressed the locals and neutral spectators with solid displays
in the Reds’ back four.
James Ryan is the rising star of the Merseyside club’s youth team.
A highly-rated midfielder, Ryan was part of Liverpool’s FA Youth
Cup winning squads of 2006.
He followed up that feat by helping the Reds retain their title with a
spellbinding victory in the final against Manchester United over two legs.
James is Liverpool-born with Irish relatives in Waterford and has played
all his international football for Ireland.
BOLTON
Joey O’Brien will be looking to stay injury free after impressing
on his return from injury at the end of the year. His namesake Andy will
be looking to impress the incoming Ireland boss after impressing at the
heart of the Bolton defence under Garry Megson.
Matthew Cassidy is on the fringes of the Bolton first-team and will be
hopeful of making the breakthrough in 2008.
Cassidy made his Irish debut at under-18 level last season against Malta
in Valletta and has flourished in the international set-up.
A fantastic reader of the game his industrious work-rate is just one
of the reasons why Bolton offered him a new contract towards the end of
the 2006-7 season.
MANCHESTER CITY
Stephen Ireland and Richard Dunne will be looking to secure a Champions
League spot for Manchester City.
Dunne has been sensational in the City defence and the next Ireland manager
must get Ireland back into the international fold.
We cannot have a player of his talent sitting at home watching superman
re-runs.
CELTIC
Aiden McGeady will have to be at his best if Celtic are to progress in
the Champions League and I predict Darren O’Dea will cement his
place at the heart of the Celtic defence and hopefully we will see him
partner Richard Dunne against Brazil in February.
Dubliner O’Dea has broken through to the first team and has earned
rave reviews from manager Gordon Strachan.
Jim O’Brien, who like McGeady was born in Scotland, has decided
to represent Ireland internationally and is a current member of the under-21
squad.
O’Brien was loaned to Dunfermline Athletic during 2006 and made
his senior debut in their 3-2 Scottish Cup victory over Rangers in January.
He scored his debut senior goal in Dunfermline’s 4-1 victory over
Motherwell in May.
He made his senior Celtic debut in their 2-1 victory over Gretna in October. |
