View Full Version : Potentially eligible players thread
Eirambler
08/01/2023, 4:49 PM
According to Neil O'Riordan he's eligible and open minded about who he plays for down the line. Which is obviously code for "If England doesn't work out Ireland is an option".
There are quite a few dual eligible Irish/English players currently in and around the English age group squads. Off the top of my head there's -
Sonny Perkins
Liam Delap
CJ Egan-Riley
Louie Barry
Dennis Cirkin
Michael Golding
Possibly a couple more that I'm forgetting as well. And probably others that we don't even realise are eligible. Realistically, given the depth England have, it's likely that one or two of them will end up with us down the line. Cirkin in particular would be of interest given our issues at left back. Also, he's Irish born, albeit he didn't grow up in Ireland.
According to Neil O'Riordan he's eligible and open minded about who he plays for down the line. Which is obviously code for "If England doesn't work out Ireland is an option".
There are quite a few dual eligible Irish/English players currently in and around the English age group squads. Off the top of my head there's -
Sonny Perkins
Liam Delap
CJ Egan-Riley
Louie Barry
Dennis Cirkin
Michael Golding
Possibly a couple more that I'm forgetting as well. And probably others that we don't even realise are eligible. Realistically, given the depth England have, it's likely that one or two of them will end up with us down the line. Cirkin in particular would be of interest given our issues at left back. Also, he's Irish born, albeit he didn't grow up in Ireland.
With Carsley being lined up as the next possible manager it wouldn't surprise me if this was one of the positives in his favour of getting the job. They could be hoping that if Carsley came on board it makes things easier for attracting some dual nationals.
elatedscum
09/01/2023, 12:43 AM
Noticed Leslie Adekoya in FA Cup highlights. 18 years old, plays for Accrington Stanley. Would be eligible for the u19s presumably.
Born in Ireland, grew up in England. Looked fast in the clips on MOTD that he featured
Colbert Report
09/01/2023, 2:05 AM
Apparently Spurs are about to activate their buy back clause from when they sold Dennis Cirkin to Sunderland. He's only twenty, has made 55 appearances for Sunderland, was born in Dublin to Latvian parents but moved to England when he was three and has come up with their underage system.
Eirambler
09/01/2023, 7:29 AM
You'd have to think there's at least some chance that Cirkin ends up in the not quite good enough for England/too good for Latvia situation that sees him end up with us in a couple of years. He'll likely do the next cycle with England Under 21s though.
liamoo11
09/01/2023, 7:24 PM
You'd have to think there's at least some chance that Cirkin ends up in the not quite good enough for England/too good for Latvia situation that sees him end up with us in a couple of years. He'll likely do the next cycle with England Under 21s though.
Don't think he will play for us doesn't seem to be any genuine connection. Got sent off when he played against us under 17
https://www.fai.ie/ireland/news/ireland-u17-england-prove-too-strong-in-tallaght
paul_oshea
12/01/2023, 10:44 AM
Whos this guy? https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/ireland-make-move-for-17-year-old-northern-ireland-sensation-sean-moore-42280897.html
I'm assuming he wants the switch.
Eirambler
12/01/2023, 11:03 AM
Can't say he's a player I know anything about but, from his personal point of view, if he wants to play for Ireland now would be the best time to come in. He doesn't seem to have played competitively for NI yet, so there would be no major paperwork issues and he would retain the option to switch back to them in future if he doesn't make the grade with us.
Stuttgart88
12/01/2023, 12:14 PM
Drummer in Manic St. Preachers and has a park in Irishtown named after him.
seanfhear
12/01/2023, 12:18 PM
Drummer in Manic St. Preachers and has a park in Irishtown named after him.
Already ? !
third policeman
12/01/2023, 4:29 PM
Has made quite an impression with Cliftonville and attracting interest from England apparently
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64205834
Has made quite an impression with Cliftonville and attracting interest from England apparently
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64205834
Interesting that he started as a LB and has broken into the Cliftonville team as a winger. Brighton, Newcastle, Everton, QPR, Ipswich, and Derby are supposedly tracking the player.
Razors left peg
12/01/2023, 8:10 PM
Liam Delap has left Stoke and joined Preston on loan. With Cannon already gone there too Troy will have a bit of competition for places
Young lad the FAI are tracking scored a cracker last night. Only turned 17 in August and has been in great form for Cliftonville recently. FAI will have to move fast if they want to get him in for the 19s March because at this rate could get a senior call up from NI.
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paul_oshea
14/01/2023, 12:11 PM
That's just awful defending. Decent finish. Nothing to write home about a level well below where we'd want him to be playing
Eirambler
15/01/2023, 12:13 PM
Was it ever bottomed out as to whether Kieran Dowell was Irish eligible or not? He's 25 now and hasn't quite developed into the player he was maybe expected to but he had a good start under David Wagner with two goals for Norwich yesterday, and we could definitely do with an attacking central midfielder at that level to compete with Knight.
All his English underage caps were before 2020 so if he has an Irish grandparent he'd be eligible (obviously he'd also need to actually want to play for us!).
OwlsFan
15/01/2023, 1:15 PM
Was it ever bottomed out as to whether Kieran Dowell was Irish eligible or not? He's 25 now and hasn't quite developed into the player he was maybe expected to but he had a good start under David Wagner with two goals for Norwich yesterday, and we could definitely do with an attacking central midfielder at that level to compete with Knight.
All his English underage caps were before 2020 so if he has an Irish grandparent he'd be eligible (obviously he'd also need to actually want to play for us!).
I looked him up on Wikipedia (the font of all genuine knowledge) when I saw he scored a brace for Norwich and it says he is qualified through an Irish grandparent.
tetsujin1979
19/01/2023, 2:34 PM
Jack McGlynn has been mentioned as a possible call up recently, but he's been included in the US U20 squad for a training camp
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Wonder if they didn't want to call him up to the seniors for this training camp or he preferred to stay with the 20s to avoid unnecessary caps if he's not sure who to play with yet. U20s manager is assisting the senior team for this camp too.
US have been the one nation that were aggressively trying to get dual national players to declare with them and while he's already their player we've been pushing for him to switch.
They've also included other players that are eligible for the U20s in the senior camp so not like they're letting U20s stay with the U20s to prepare for the U20 Cup.
Weird enough too one of those U20s called up is Jonathan Gomez. Made his senior debut for the US in a friendly back in Dec 2021, made his senior debut for Mexico in friendly back in April 2022, and back with the US senior team again.
irishfan86
19/01/2023, 6:46 PM
RE: McGlynn and whether he'd be good enough for us -- to get 42 MLS appearances by age 19 is no small thing, especially for a team as strong as Philadelphia (No. 1 in the Eastern Conference during league play and MLS Cup finalists). Assuming there's more upside potential there, I think he'd be a worthwhile addition. I'm not suggesting he'd be a guaranteed starter immediately but he has the potential to push on and become an option for us.
Irish born Leslie Adekoya scores his first goal for Accrington Stanley today 38secs after coming on. Born to Nigerian parents in Ireland who moved to England at a young age. Hasn't been involved with anyone at international level so far. Could be one the FAI try get in for the upcoming U19s games in March.
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nigel-harps1954
28/02/2023, 12:07 PM
Interesting to see Darren Fletchers twin sons divided in their international allegiance. Jack and Tyler, both Irish eligible as well as Scotland/England, as was Darren himself due to his Irish mother, played against each other for England and Scotland in an under-16 match last week.
Funnily enough, despite Darren himself working for Man United, both players are in Man City academy.
https://news.stv.tv/sport/darren-fletchers-twin-sons-play-on-opposing-sides-in-england-v-scotland-clash
tetsujin1979
28/02/2023, 12:10 PM
a few former United players have had children in City's academy
I think i read Tyrhys Dolan on these parts a few years ago as a potential recruit but i see nothing online. Anyone got an inside track?
Razors left peg
01/03/2023, 9:30 PM
Just heard that Mikey Johnson has declared for us. On loan in Portugal from Celtic at moment
https://twitter.com/McDonnellDan/status/1631056255719464961?t=bXxaVFNg-eDvEjcLijDoGA&s=19
Jd2793
01/03/2023, 9:50 PM
absolutely no idea who he is but we have no wingers at all so nothing is lost if he doesnt do much from here on out. another one to pin our desperate hopes on
Diggs246
01/03/2023, 10:03 PM
absolutely no idea who he is but we have no wingers at all so nothing is lost if he doesnt do much from here on out. another one to pin our desperate hopes on
Beilsa/ Javier loved this guy....why nobody knows
He isn't getting his game in Portugal. So thats his first hurdle. Then he can get his passport
paul_oshea
02/03/2023, 8:12 AM
absolutely no idea who he is but we have no wingers at all so nothing is lost if he doesnt do much from here on out. another one to pin our desperate hopes on
Our desparate hoops on.
SkStu
03/03/2023, 12:47 AM
Been reading up on him as this came out of the blue and it’s been so long - 20 games, 3 goals, 3 assists for him this season. Not bad for a first season, 22 year old in Primera Liga, sitting in 5th… I didn’t think he’d be contributing much to us when I heard the news yesterday but definitely think he deserves at least a look. Young enough to still improve too.
Eirambler
03/03/2023, 6:29 AM
He's 24 next month. Kenny is clearly intending to cap him but there's little to suggest at this point that he offers much that we don't already have. If he particularly wants a right footer who can play on the left wing then why not give Festy a go? I'd say he has a far higher ceiling than Johnston.
BOOMSHAKALAKA
03/03/2023, 6:45 AM
Johnston looked like a player when he broke through first. He has fallen off a good bit but no harm in having extra options.
liamoo11
03/03/2023, 6:46 AM
He's 24 next month. Kenny is clearly intending to cap him but there's little to suggest at this point that he offers much that we don't already have. If he particularly wants a right footer who can play on the left wing then why not give Festy a go? I'd say he has a far higher ceiling than Johnston.
Johnson is far more skillful than festy but festy has fantastic physical abilities. Neither of them have much of an end product
tetsujin1979
03/03/2023, 7:05 AM
The opening goal here is his last goal in the league, from October
Good finish
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5LJ5VD3xxw
(can't embed the video, just click the link)
SkStu
03/03/2023, 11:15 AM
He's 24 next month. Kenny is clearly intending to cap him but there's little to suggest at this point that he offers much that we don't already have. If he particularly wants a right footer who can play on the left wing then why not give Festy a go? I'd say he has a far higher ceiling than Johnston.
Sorry, yeah a typo - should have said 23. The point still stands on its merits - he's doing fairly well in a decent league. Definitely a bit worrying that he's fallen a bit out of favour since January but still another new, decent prospect to monitor with plenty of upside it seems. Could be a Cullen type trajectory?
It is a good shout re Festy as he has played that side in some of the Derby games i seen, although it did highlight his weaknesses a little more (touch and positioning) and it was more as a LWB from what i can recall. I do hope he can kick on at Udinese and get more than just a few minutes every other game over the coming months.
paul_oshea
03/03/2023, 1:19 PM
24 is COD, you're a cod stu : P
Johnson is far more skillful than festy but festy has fantastic physical abilities. Neither of them have much of an end product
Yeah Festy is more Ogbene in style. Play him RW where he can use his pace and physicality to beat players on the outside.
Trequartista20
03/03/2023, 3:20 PM
Good work on Kenny's behalf to bring Johnston aboard. He is potentially an exciting, if unfulfilled, talent.
With good news stories thin on the ground under his tenure I sense Kenny's talking this up a little more more than he ought to, similar to Hamilton, who was probably never really worthy of a call-up.
But he does like his wingers.
third policeman
03/03/2023, 6:18 PM
Good work on Kenny's behalf to bring Johnston aboard. He is potentially an exciting, if unfulfilled, talent.
With good news stories thin on the ground under his tenure I sense Kenny's talking this up a little more more than he ought to, similar to Hamilton, who was probably never really worthy of a call-up.
But he does like his wingers.
If we're playing with three at the back, where does this leave us with a winger like Johnston? I sincerely hope we are not reverting to the 4-3-3 which was clearly not working. I was beginning to think that with decent options in the CB department, Coleman seemingly back in form, Cullen and Molumby anchoring the midfield and Ferguson & Obafemi a potentially complementary partnership, we were getting close to having a solid set-up. If Johnstone is a plan B option then he's worth looking at, but I remember when we used to recruit Scots born players who were too good for Scotland, not ones not good enough to make it in the SPL.
Poor Student
03/03/2023, 7:11 PM
Johnston is one of the most brainless footballers I've ever seen. Has some good natural ability but just has such poor game intelligence and constantly makes bad decisions on the pitch. He's had woeful luck with injuries too.
irishfan86
03/03/2023, 8:13 PM
There's no harm in bringing Johnston aboard. Not bringing him in because we play 3-5-2/5-3-2 would be absurd. The more options we have, in terms of personnel and formations, the better.
I think where Johnston could be particularly valuable is in matches where we are the more dominant team/expected to win. He's trickier on the ball than many of our other options and will be able to open up space and create opportunities against teams parking the bus against us.
On the high end he becomes a starter for us and potentially a key player if he improves from where he's at now. At the low end I could see him being a useful squad option. This seems like a no risk, no brainer, with upside potential.
third policeman
03/03/2023, 8:31 PM
Agree with most of that. My worry was that by going out of his way to recruit a wide player who has failed to nail down a place with Celtic or Scotland, he may be yearning for his favoured formation that doesn't suit the squad we have and proved to be largely ineffective. Am I right in thinking he only abandoned it when Barry was in post. If Johnson is a plan B option or an impact sub (if he can make an impact), then ok,
pineapple stu
03/03/2023, 8:34 PM
There's no harm in bringing Johnston aboard. Not bringing him in because we play 3-5-2/5-3-2 would be absurd. The more options we have, in terms of personnel and formations, the better.
I think where Johnston could be particularly valuable is in matches where we are the more dominant team/expected to win. He's trickier on the ball than many of our other options and will be able to open up space and create opportunities against teams parking the bus against us.
On the high end he becomes a starter for us and potentially a key player if he improves from where he's at now. At the low end I could see him being a useful squad option. This seems like a no risk, no brainer, with upside potential.
Genuine question - have you ever seen the guy play?
(I haven't. But that detailed a post suggests you have. It's just it's odds with Poor Student's view, who I know is fairly knowledgeable about Celtic)
paul_oshea
03/03/2023, 8:47 PM
Johnston is one of the most brainless footballers I've ever seen. Has some good natural ability but just has such poor game intelligence and constantly makes bad decisions on the pitch. He's had woeful luck with injuries too.
Johnston mcgeady. Kingdom must have an opinion on him so
irishfan86
03/03/2023, 11:03 PM
Genuine question - have you ever seen the guy play?
(I haven't. But that detailed a post suggests you have. It's just it's odds with Poor Student's view, who I know is fairly knowledgeable about Celtic)
I've seen a few matches but would defer to those who follow Celtic more closely than I do. I just don't see the uproar about welcoming anyone into the fold. If he starts and he's poor, OK, let's deliver criticism then and debate whether he should be involved. But bringing him in, taking a look at him, and giving ourselves another option -- it makes no sense to me that anybody would be upset about this.
pineapple stu
04/03/2023, 2:20 PM
I don't think anyone's upset by all this.
But there is a tendency to over-hype players because they're Irish, so in that regard you can understand me enquiring about the background to a very positive post like yours as against a fairly negative review from Poor Student (and again, I've never heard of the guy, do I'm relying on the good posters of foot.ie for info here)
Yeah, welcome him in, but (hypothetically) if Kenny is chasing after crap players, that might say something too.
Probably a few others we could do with pursuing. Lads like Cirkin for LB and Egan Riley at Burnley who can play RB and CB. Few more wingers if there's any eligible but definitely some FBs, especially LB to give us the option of switching back to a back four.
Egan-Riley would be a great acquisition I think, lots of promise there even if it hasn’t worked out so far with Burnley. We probably need Cirkin (or more specifically just need a good LB), especially if Manning isn’t going to cut it for Kenny.
Didn't know Egan Riley has went on loan to Hibs and has actually started as a DM in two of the four games and RB in another. Would definitely be great acquisition if he covered those three positions. We need someone that can cover for Cullen.
liamoo11
04/03/2023, 5:13 PM
Didn't know Egan Riley has went on loan to Hibs and has actually started as a DM in two of the four games and RB in another. Would definitely be great acquisition if he covered those three positions. We need someone that can cover for Cullen.
I remember seeing egan Riley play centre midfield for our under 16s a few years back didn't seem to.me to have the technical ability for it.
If we are bringing in players I'd like to see louie Barry come back to us for this 21s campaign there is a good footballer in there somewhere. Delap hasn't done a whole lot in senior football yet and his physicality was a big factor in what he was doing underage but I'd like to see him in the 21s I'd say his dad would be very proud
Eirambler
04/03/2023, 5:33 PM
Egan-Riley has done very well since going to Hibs. Too early to know whether he'll be senior international quality in future but he'd be a great addition to our Under 21 team in this coming campaign if we could get him in. He's a physical player more than a technical one, maybe surprising that Kompany brought him to Burnley. He'll be back out on loan again next season I'd say.
Louie Barry is probably ours if we want him at this point, but he seems to be falling away into obscurity unfortunately. I don't think he'd make our Under 21 team even.
Tom Cannon is currently outshining Delap at Preston.
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