2025 Arrivals and Departures

[brendy_éire]

That's Sean Patton away to Reading now, for an undisclosed fee.
https://www.derrycityfc.net/2025/09/patton-to-reading/

Still think it's a strange move, but fair play to him.

[2 Year Contract]

That's Sean Patton away to Reading now, for an undisclosed fee.
https://www.derrycityfc.net/2025/09/patton-to-reading/

Still think it's a strange move, but fair play to him.

He’s going to their under 21 team which makes it less strange. Unless you’re thinking he’s not good enough for their 21s?

[thebronze14]

That's Sean Patton away to Reading now, for an undisclosed fee.
https://www.derrycityfc.net/2025/09/patton-to-reading/

Still think it's a strange move, but fair play to him.

Yeah he looked good in his first match for us last season but wasn't great after that at all...I wouldn't have been looking for him back at Harps this season anyway

[nigel-harps1954]

Oisin Cooney has left Harps and joined Burnley under-23's squad. No fee up front but 'significant add-ons' according to local news.

[joey B]

Oisin Cooney has left Harps and joined Burnley under-23's squad. No fee up front but 'significant add-ons' according to local news.

A transfer fee would have been very handy at the minute….

[culloty82]

Galwayman Daniel O'Connor has joined Kerry after spells with Mervue, Galway and Ipswich's U21s:

https://kerryfc.com/kerry-fc-sign-former-ipswich-and-galway-united-centre-back-daniel-oconnor/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMlLmtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHq2-4wmq_ypPkOkqbaMmvGZpifCavcfL6rCXQ2HHsEmh_rkaODA4mB 47GdIC_aem_7wZUTci8oaLSQn5vAyWWPg

[2 Year Contract]

A transfer fee would have been very handy at the minute….

Could’ve always held onto him until November and taken the €245k you that would’ve been due in compensation money rather than holding out for first team appearances as a goalkeeper at a premier league club or a sell on percentage that’s likely to work out at less than €245k anyways

https://x.com/mcdonnelldan/status/1963245921463890034?s=46

[nigel-harps1954]

Absolute nonsense the 245k fee. If we get 40k-50k compensation that'll be the height of it. He's a third choice goalkeeper at a First Division side and lost his place in the Ireland underage setup.

[2 Year Contract]

Absolute nonsense the 245k fee. If we get 40k-50k compensation that'll be the height of it. He's a third choice goalkeeper at a First Division side and lost his place in the Ireland underage setup.

The fact that he’s not your first choice keeper, or that he lost his place in the international setup doesn’t have any affect on the compensation so I’m not sure what relevance bringing that up has, but if he’s as crap as you’re making him out to sound then surely taking even 50k would’ve been the better option as he’ll likely be released and Harps would get €0

[sbgawa]

You can be entitled to 500k in compo but if the buying club says we dont rate the player that highly we will give you X then you can forego the UEFA mandated Compo.
Clubs often do as the alternative is the player doesnt get signed at all and you have a disgruntled player on your hands.

The people running Harps will have done the best by the club im sure

[cláirseach]

You can't and shouldn't believe anything Harps say so hopefully this follows along those lines.

[cláirseach]

The Finn Harps Online Defence Squad are out in action online today though. Whatever I would like to be true... is!

[nigel-harps1954]

The fact that he’s not your first choice keeper, or that he lost his place in the international setup doesn’t have any affect on the compensation so I’m not sure what relevance bringing that up has, but if he’s as crap as you’re making him out to sound then surely taking even 50k would’ve been the better option as he’ll likely be released and Harps would get €0

Sbgawa, I would say, is probably closest the matter. €245k may end up being the entitled amount, but Burnley would have had to be willing to pay that much to secure him.
He's absolutely not crap, nor have I suggested he is, but I just don't see any club paying that sort of money out for a third choice First Division goalkeeper.

My take on it, is that Harps have taken a best case scenario deal rather than lose him for free at the end of the season, or very basic compensation to another Irish club.

Its far from ideal for Harps, but if he ends up doing well, significant add ons could prove a decent move.

[2 Year Contract]

Sbgawa, I would say, is probably closest the matter. €245k may end up being the entitled amount, but Burnley would have had to be willing to pay that much to secure him.
He's absolutely not crap, nor have I suggested he is, but I just don't see any club paying that sort of money out for a third choice First Division goalkeeper.

My take on it, is that Harps have taken a best case scenario deal rather than lose him for free at the end of the season, or very basic compensation to another Irish club.

It’s far from ideal for Harps, but if he ends up doing well, significant add ons could prove a decent move.

I know you called it absolute nonsense that the compensation fee Harps were entitled to was €245k, but it was. Burnley are a category A academy in England and it’s 90k per year that the player was trained at the selling club between the ages of 16-18. Breakdown of Harps fee is 10k for having him at age 14, 10k for age 15, 90k for age 16, 90k for age 17 and 45k for the half year this year, age 18, adding up to €245k.

As you say Burnley could’ve just pulled out and said we’re not interested in signing him because we don’t want to pay €245k for him, but at that point surely you say to the player, look, there’s probably a better club in the UK you can go to than one that doesn’t even value you enough to pay such a small fee for you when they’re due over £110m in tv money alone this season even if they come button of the table, stick around and you’ll get a better move in January.

The horrendous deal Harps have done with them means they’ll likely see either no money or very little for him anyways now. If they’d waited until January and lost him for a smaller compensation fee to an Irish club it’d still probably work out better financially for Harps in the here and now when the club are trying to fundraise for a stadium and have also recently been hit with a €90k fee owed to another club through a lack of understanding of compensation rules (irony!) in a different transfer.

One of the strange things about letting him go for free is, Harps are hedging their bets that he’ll become good enough to play first team games for Burnley (very unrealistic) or be sold for a relatively good fee. If that’s the case that they believe in him that much as a player then why has he been dropped to third choice keeper when realistically playing him and putting him in that shop window would’ve been a better bet to make money than anything they’re likely to achieve via the league in the remainder of the season

[sbgawa]

You have to deal wiyh players and their families as well. If he is not getting games at Harps and he has the offer of a move to england its very hard for harps to say no and maintain credibikity. If clubs are seen to block kids it starts to getbhard tongetvkids to sign

[2 Year Contract]

You have to deal wiyh players and their families as well. If he is not getting games at Harps and he has the offer of a move to england its very hard for harps to say no and maintain credibikity. If clubs are seen to block kids it starts to getbhard tongetvkids to sign
Yeah I know what you mean, it can be a difficult one to juggle. That was my last point, it’s strange that they aren’t giving him games if they seemingly rate his chances of getting into Burnley’s first team or being sold on for a decent fee

[sbgawa]

Harps may very likely see him as noy first team ready now in a particularly pressurised position, Burnley arent buying him to put him in the first team , they see a future for him which to be fair they have the time and the money to wait for.....Harps need a clean sheet on Friday in Longford....thus he doesnt play

[2 Year Contract]

Harps may very likely see him as noy first team ready now in a particularly pressurised position, Burnley arent buying him to put him in the first team , they see a future for him which to be fair they have the time and the money to wait for.....Harps need a clean sheet on Friday in Longford....thus he doesnt play
I wouldn’t say it’s a particularly pressurised position at all to be honest. Pressure for what to get promoted? Let’s call a spade a spade, they won’t get promoted this season even if they make the playoffs, so for a club that’s desperate for money at the minute I’d say putting young players in the shop window is a better bet than hoping for a miracle in the playoffs. Particularly when their academy is probably as good as it’s ever been at the moment

[sbgawa]

I wouldn’t say it’s a particularly pressurised position at all to be honest. Pressure for what to get promoted? Let’s call a spade a spade, they won’t get promoted this season even if they make the playoffs, so for a club that’s desperate for money at the minute I’d say putting young players in the shop window is a better bet than hoping for a miracle in the playoffs. Particularly when their academy is probably as good as it’s ever been at the moment

When i said "Harps may very likely see him as not first team ready now in a particularly pressurised position " i meant he wasnt ready for first team starting in the pressurised position of Goalkeeper

[sessylU]

Very much looking forward to Harps becoming the richest club in the country when Man City or the likes sign him in six or seven years time. Would be some turnup!

[nigel-harps1954]

I wouldn’t say it’s a particularly pressurised position at all to be honest. Pressure for what to get promoted? Let’s call a spade a spade, they won’t get promoted this season even if they make the playoffs, so for a club that’s desperate for money at the minute I’d say putting young players in the shop window is a better bet than hoping for a miracle in the playoffs. Particularly when their academy is probably as good as it’s ever been at the moment

He started the season as first choice goalkeeper. Dropped after a couple of poor performances and was overtaken altogether by the under-17 goalkeeper Corey Sheridan, who is currently away with the Ireland under-17 world cup squad. He got a run of games himself in the summer before the new Brazilian goalkeeper took over the number one jersey.

Cooney is a great goalkeeper for his age. He's a big strong lad who will do well. But the long and short of it is, this was a take it or leave it deal by Burnley and Harps were bent over a barrel on this one.

[thebronze14]

He started the season as first choice goalkeeper. Dropped after a couple of poor performances and was overtaken altogether by the under-17 goalkeeper Corey Sheridan, who is currently away with the Ireland under-17 world cup squad. He got a run of games himself in the summer before the new Brazilian goalkeeper took over the number one jersey.

Cooney is a great goalkeeper for his age. He's a big strong lad who will do well. But the long and short of it is, this was a take it or leave it deal by Burnley and Harps were bent over a barrel on this one.

Yeah people seem to think we were going to get the 200 odd thousand....Sadly Burnley were never going to pay that

[BigEars]

Yeah people seem to think we were going to get the 200 odd thousand....Sadly Burnley were never going to pay that

I suppose some are probably thinking why didn't Harps push for €50k plus add ons, as at least they've gotten something.

Now perhaps it wasn't on the table, and Burnley really don't rate this kid. They'll take a punt off the training costs of him being low enough that if they get enough kids in that category a couple will work out.
But it doesn't bode well for the young lad if a Premier League club wouldn't even pay that.

Even if he plays well for them, if it's a 50/50 decision between him and some kid they paid €150-300k for, you can bet you know who'll be kept on......

[RealJohn91]

Alan Reynolds, Stephen O'Donnell and Derek Pender all sign new deals till the end of 2027 with Bohs.

[Neish]

Now perhaps it wasn't on the table, and Burnley really don't rate this kid. They'll take a punt off the training costs of him being low enough that if they get enough kids in that category a couple will work out.
But it doesn't bode well for the young lad if a Premier League club wouldn't even pay that.


Not sure how it doesn't bode well, he get to play with better players in training, he get arguably better levels of coaching & more resources & if anything just the experience of living and playing away from home

[BigEars]

Not sure how it doesn't bode well, he get to play with better players in training, he get arguably better levels of coaching & more resources & if anything just the experience of living and playing away from home

It doesn't bode well from the point of view that they're starting opinion of him must be quite low, even if they did feel worth it taking him on, it's probably more as a shot to nothing.

So the likelihood is he'll be back in Ireland in 12-18 months.
Now no question he'll get to experience playing with some higher calibre players, and experience living away from home.
But when a club isn't willing to pay a penny for you, the chance they're going to change their opinion on you enough to keep you long term is unlikely.

He's already got work to do to make them think he's better than they perceive him to be.

[nigel-harps1954]

It doesn't bode well from the point of view that they're starting opinion of him must be quite low, even if they did feel worth it taking him on, it's probably more as a shot to nothing.

So the likelihood is he'll be back in Ireland in 12-18 months.
Now no question he'll get to experience playing with some higher calibre players, and experience living away from home.
But when a club isn't willing to pay a penny for you, the chance they're going to change their opinion on you enough to keep you long term is unlikely.

He's already got work to do to make them think he's better than they perceive him to be.

Given how many players are churned through the academy systems in England, I think you're grossly overestimating how much of a sh1t English clubs give about young players.

[Neish]

It doesn't bode well from the point of view that they're starting opinion of him must be quite low, even if they did feel worth it taking him on, it's probably more as a shot to nothing.

So the likelihood is he'll be back in Ireland in 12-18 months.
Now no question he'll get to experience playing with some higher calibre players, and experience living away from home.
But when a club isn't willing to pay a penny for you, the chance they're going to change their opinion on you enough to keep you long term is unlikely.

He's already got work to do to make them think he's better than they perceive him to be.

They wouldn't have made any effort to take him if they didn't see something when he was on trail and why should Burney pay a fee when he'd be out of contract in 10 weeks or so they made the offer to secure him before his contract does run out

[BigEars]

They wouldn't have made any effort to take him if they didn't see something when he was on trail and why should Burney pay a fee when he'd be out of contract in 10 weeks or so they made the offer to secure him before his contract does run out

They've seen enough to take a punt on him on €0 up front and whatever his wages are which can't be much, so it's not like they've really invested anything or took on any risk what so ever.

The reason Burnley should/would pay a fee is they'd have owed compensation of €245,000 if they signed him on a free transfer.
Now they probably wouldn't have agreed to sign on a free knowing that was the case and hence the deal was made with Harps.

But it is disappointing from Harps point of view that they haven't got any money up front and therefore Harps will likely never get a penny from this deal.
I imagine they didn't want to be seen to be "holding the player back" and that's why they agreed to it in the end.

I know not every player is going to go for the likes of money Melia is, but I just hope agents don't start forcing more transfers like this where English clubs are essentially taking advantage of their position to take our players for nothing.