2021 Season , Arrivals and departures

**boynemunich** · 08/01/2021, 3:11 PM

Originally Posted by DCSIL

Drogheda.

I don't think I've ever been so surprised from a signing. Did not think he was on our radar whatsoever. Brilliant signing and testament to the great work going on behind the scenes.

**oriel** · 08/01/2021, 4:08 PM

Originally Posted by joey B

Raivis Andris Jurkovskis Latvian International left back signed for Dundalk, good luck making a song for that fella!

Consider the poor lads on Dundalk FM, one of them is 80+, a legend he is, but he'll have some craic with that name!

**pineapple stu** · 08/01/2021, 4:54 PM

Yoyo Mahdy from UCD to Shels.

Thought he'd get a Premier club to be honest. He'll be worth an extra place or two in the table for Shels

**DCSIL** · 08/01/2021, 6:19 PM

Jase Kabia off to Scotland with Livingston.

**2 Year Contract** · 08/01/2021, 6:29 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Yoyo Mahdy from UCD to Shels.

Thought he'd get a Premier club to be honest. He'll be worth an extra place or two in the table for Shels

Very apt that Shelbourne have signed a Yoyo

**pineapple stu** · 08/01/2021, 6:41 PM

I remember being annoyed when UCD were mentioned in yoyo club comments on here. Now I'm annoyed we're not being mentioned...

**oriel** · 08/01/2021, 6:55 PM

Originally Posted by boynemunich

I don't think I've ever been so surprised from a signing. Did not think he was on our radar whatsoever. Brilliant signing and testament to the great work going on behind the scenes.

Super player is Massey, there will be few DFC fans that will not wish him well, brilliant record and performances with us, 5 leagues and 3 cups, 2 EL group stages. Although he didn't feature in 2020 cup final / EL group stages, he more than did his part for both. Best of luck to him at Drogs.

**nigel-harps1954** · 08/01/2021, 7:03 PM

Good signing for Drogheda, if only for experience and presence in the dressing room. Might not be the same player he was three or four years ago, but will definitely add massively to that dressing room. Been a mad off-season so far.

**Sonny** · 08/01/2021, 7:34 PM

Originally Posted by oriel

Jurkovskis has 13 full caps and seems to be first choice for Latvia and played last game for them, he was being tracked since end of last season, looks a very good signing. New keeper also tracked from around the same time, but no idea how he will work out. On the striker signed pre xmas, Midtskogen, not sure why they went for him given Hoban and McMillan onboard for 2021, but he might be useful.

Still 9 at the club who played in cup final, including subs, but not including Hoban and Murray who were injured, so still good panel from 2020 and before at the club.

Now as for the South Korean linked, no idea about that one!

I'd disagree on Bill signings as seems Magilton heavily involved already and completed each of these deals, local paper this week he confirmed he's moving to the town shortly.

Best signing so far was still Duffy, but I wouldn't rule this Jurkovskis lad out, as ever with all of them, need to see them playing.

On the one hand you are saying these players have been tracked since before Magilton came on board, but on the other hand you are suggesting that they aren't Buffalo Bill's signings because Magilton seems heavily involved? How big is Dundalk's scouting department? There is absolutely no way all of these signings are the product of long-term monitoring and scouting; LOI clubs do not have that sort of infrastructure. 99.9% of these deals will arise through approaches from agent networks or various contacts and then signed on the basis of some background research and watching footage.

Perth was waxing lyrical last preseason about a radical new approach to recruitment to cast the net wider and bring in a higher calibre of player to push Dundalk on. What came from that? Colovic (on massive wages), Oduwa, Gatt, Patching et al. None of the signings/targets in this off-season have the pedigree to suggest they are levels above the top level of this league. The full-back looks the most promising, and 13 international caps are not to be sneered at, but he is also coming from the fifth place side in a league ranked below the LOI! On paper it looks questionable as to whether goalkeeper and Norwegian striker will even be up to the LOI at all. These signings smack of wild punts as opposed to some new revolutionary approach to recruitment in the league. Dundalk's recruitment has been absolutely awful the last couple of years, and if I were a Dundalk fan I would be seriously, seriously concerned about the current recruitment process and the profile of player they are bringing in.

Maybe some of them will work out, maybe most of them will, but it seems far more likely to me that replacing tried and trusted league winners with complete unknown quantities will end badly.

**Martinho II** · 08/01/2021, 7:53 PM

Originally Posted by Nesta99

lol ummm It wasnt just his footballing ability honed while at Dundalk but with the ladies also (and more power to his elbow!) so mere mortal men out and about town have the playing field levelled...

Its like when Eric Lavine was with us he was legendary for his exploits with his female admirers. I used to work with a girl in Carrick on Shannon and when she heard I was a huge Longford Town fan she told me that her sister got made pregnant by Mr Lavine! Hence we had our own song about Lavine from Section O " Longfords baby making machine!"

**oriel** · 08/01/2021, 8:28 PM

Originally Posted by Sonny

On the one hand you are saying these players have been tracked since before Magilton came on board, but on the other hand you are suggesting that they aren't Buffalo Bill's signings because Magilton seems heavily involved? How big is Dundalk's scouting department? There is absolutely no way all of these signings are the product of long-term monitoring and scouting; LOI clubs do not have that sort of infrastructure. 99.9% of these deals will arise through approaches from agent networks or various contacts and then signed on the basis of some background research and watching footage.

Perth was waxing lyrical last preseason about a radical new approach to recruitment to cast the net wider and bring in a higher calibre of player to push Dundalk on. What came from that? Colovic (on massive wages), Oduwa, Gatt, Patching et al. None of the signings/targets in this off-season have the pedigree to suggest they are levels above the top level of this league. The full-back looks the most promising, and 13 international caps are not to be sneered at, but he is also coming from the fifth place side in a league ranked below the LOI! On paper it looks questionable as to whether goalkeeper and Norwegian striker will even be up to the LOI at all. These signings smack of wild punts as opposed to some new revolutionary approach to recruitment in the league. Dundalk's recruitment has been absolutely awful the last couple of years, and if I were a Dundalk fan I would be seriously, seriously concerned about the current recruitment process and the profile of player they are bringing in.

Maybe some of them will work out, maybe most of them will, but it seems far more likely to me that replacing tried and trusted league winners with complete unknown quantities will end badly.

My post suggested only the Lativan new guy was a good signing from the new intakes, we have no idea how the new keeper will work out. To be fair these are the only two that I would see as starters. I still think these were tracked by DFC pre xmas, but it would still appear that Magilton 'signed off' on them when he started in early Jan.

Remains to be seen how the others will blend in (and I'm told two more foreign players due to sign), but regardless of how many more come in, I would still think only Jurkovskis and the new keeper will be close to first choice.

I will agree Perth got it wrong with a lot from last season, Patching was top of the pile on that, Gatt not far behind, and no argument on Odawu.

I still think the club are right to look outside the league, on keepers I can only think of the Sligo GK McGinty as one they could have gone for, but he signed a new contract last month.

A lot of former league winners have indeed left, but fact still remains on those who have departed, only Gannon would have been a nailed on starter (in my book).

**Jack B** · 08/01/2021, 11:25 PM

Desmond and Benson signed back. We're a keeper away from having a starting XI at this rate.

**ToberonaTornado** · 09/01/2021, 1:06 AM

Massey is a decent signing for Drogs and all at Dundalk are very sorry to see a player who was vital to everything we done over the last 7/8 leave, and every best wish from all at Dundalk goes with him.

Drogs and Tim obv taking a chance on a player carrying a serious deep quad injury.Dane has bounced back from serious injury before and i'm sure he will again and i wish him all the best on his recovery from this one.

**ToberonaTornado** · 09/01/2021, 1:31 AM

Originally Posted by Sonny

On the one hand you are saying these players have been tracked since before Magilton came on board, but on the other hand you are suggesting that they aren't Buffalo Bill's signings because Magilton seems heavily involved? How big is Dundalk's scouting department? There is absolutely no way all of these signings are the product of long-term monitoring and scouting; LOI clubs do not have that sort of infrastructure. 99.9% of these deals will arise through approaches from agent networks or various contacts and then signed on the basis of some background research and watching footage.

Perth was waxing lyrical last preseason about a radical new approach to recruitment to cast the net wider and bring in a higher calibre of player to push Dundalk on. What came from that? Colovic (on massive wages), Oduwa, Gatt, Patching et al. None of the signings/targets in this off-season have the pedigree to suggest they are levels above the top level of this league. The full-back looks the most promising, and 13 international caps are not to be sneered at, but he is also coming from the fifth place side in a league ranked below the LOI! On paper it looks questionable as to whether goalkeeper and Norwegian striker will even be up to the LOI at all. These signings smack of wild punts as opposed to some new revolutionary approach to recruitment in the league. Dundalk's recruitment has been absolutely awful the last couple of years, and if I were a Dundalk fan I would be seriously, seriously concerned about the current recruitment process and the profile of player they are bringing in.

Maybe some of them will work out, maybe most of them will, but it seems far more likely to me that replacing tried and trusted league winners with complete unknown quantities will end badly.

Here's why Perth's sacking was justified. I'm not naive enough to believe that these foreign based players are Magilton signings. The GK may end up being a number 3 gk but i think we'll start to see more of his influence and(Magilton) targets getting signed in the next weeks.

**Nesta99** · 09/01/2021, 11:53 AM

Colovic, Oduwa and Gatt were not bad players, certainly capable at LoI level, value for money? not in the end! The issue ran deeper and the tried and tested decorated players were every bit as ineffectual as the newer signings. Maybe the driven attitude of the squad was diluted but there was a whole lot more going on that we might hear about in due course. Maybe players were forced on Perth and it ended up effecting everything, all the players seemed disinterested though and then took to FG very quickly and started to improve performances irrespective of changes to formation and a lot of player rotation. I dont think there is a Dundalk fan that is doing much more than hoping that the transfer policy has substance and is not scatter gun and hope for for a couple of hits, only time will tell as it possible that homework has been done albeit with a global pandemic on the go it couldnt be direct scouting. I think going forward you will see more structure to a lot of aspects of the club including transfer policy - I hope. It does seem that there is money there if targets become available and that Colovic's contract was authorised in the first place would suggest that.

**bluemovie** · 09/01/2021, 3:13 PM

Being told that Pats have won the race for Bastien Hery

**ger121** · 09/01/2021, 6:27 PM

Some LOI account on Twitter talking about Towell coming back to the League. Between Rovers and Dundalk. Could be rubbish but stranger things have happened.

**osarusan** · 09/01/2021, 6:39 PM

Apparently Towell just posted a photo of Oriel Park with the caption 'It's been a while' on some social media.

**GCdfc** · 10/01/2021, 9:52 PM

6’6” international defender signs for Dundalk. Don’t have to worry about high balls into the box any more! https://www.dundalkfc.com/sonni-set-...to-oriel-park/