Official Transfers Abroad 2020
That time of the season to speculate on which Irish players need to move mid-season. I’m going to focus on the young prospects who I think need to consider a move, mostly loans.
Goalkeepers:
- Travers and Kelleher need a loan urgently. Preston linked to Kelleher but can’t see them taking a risk, league 1 or even league 2 would be adequate.
Defenders:
- O’Shea: needs loan to lower championship or league 1. He’s 4th choice CB.
- Masterson: if he’s not broken into QPR side by the Jan, he needs a loan, anywhere will do to play his first senior football at 21.
- N Collins: If he breaks back into stoke side over December, all is good. If not, he needs a loan to continue his development.
- R Nolan: Hasn’t worked out for him in serie C so far. Still got developing to do in order to adapt. Similar build to Masterson, but Masterson appears a much more stylish footballer to my eye. If he’s still not back to starting with Arezzo soon, not sure where u drop to for a loan experience, serie D?
Midfielders:
- C Ronan: His loan to FC DAC was until January. Awaiting to see if it’s extended. Won’t break into the wolves team currently so probably better off staying where he is for the year.
- Coventry: Molumby took his career by the scruff of the neck by taking the initiative to engineer a loan move which has worked out very well for him. Conor needs to do the same, although he’s in a slightly different situation. His contract is up next summer, he does have an option of signing elsewhere, or else go on loan but don’t think west ham will allow him go on loan unless he’s signed an extended contract. West Ham have been selfish pressuring him to stay with 23s, dangling the carrot of U23s captain at him, as their priority appears to be promotion to PL2 league 1, and not Conor’s development. He needs first team football. Champ or L1 in jan please. On a positive note though, he was training with the seniors this week, and Nathan Holland made the bench, so you never know.
- Kilkenny: A 6 month loan please.
Forwards:
- Parrott: loan move in January if no regular first team exposure. The permanent move away is intriguing but he could easily lose his way at some of the clubs being mentioned. Sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know.
Obafemi: Did okay in his 2 recent consecutive starts. Unless he breaks through properly in December, I would favor loan move. Badly needs a run of games, and to see if his hamstrings can actually withstand the demands of regular professional football. He has potential, no doubt about it.
- Idah: training with first team he improved him drastically. Needs a loan move January. Not looking likely to break into side as Norwich continue with only 1 striker. Idah is 3rd, possibly 4th choice.
- The Celtic 5 (O’C, Luca, Coffey, Arm-Oko, Afolabi)
Well, well, well, what do you say about this situation. It’s an absolute disaster from an irish perspective at the moment. And unless a couple of them breakthrough over Christmas, Duff and O’Dea will have done our country a disservice luring our prospects north of the border promising them inevitable riches. I’m sure O’Connor wasn’t told they planned on signing Frimpong at the same time. It’s worked out well for him. They had no strikers fit this week but yet Lennon plays a makeshift striker vs Hamilton. There is no development infrastructure in Scotland and these lads may rot unless they force a loan move in January (or even a permanent one if they don’t get any assurances off Lennon). If none of them play by January, it will be a stark warning for any youngsters next summer who Celtic try to lure with the promise of a fast track to first team football. They may use Frimpong as an example but there were many more who perished without any chances given.