Gareth Maher
There is a long tradition of Irish players proving themselves in the top flight of English football and that trend is set to continue this season.
From Johnny Giles to Roy Keane, there has been a steady flow of players from the Republic of Ireland that have forged successful careers for themselves in England. Every year players cross the Irish Sea with the hope of making the grade with some of the biggest clubs in world football. Not all of them make it, but some do.
James O’Shea (pictured) is the latest player to leave the League of Ireland and link up with an English club. The former Galway United captain was reportedly being chased by six different clubs before he signed on the dotted line with Premier League new boys Birmingham City.
While the Republic of Ireland U-21 international certainly proved himself to be an exciting talent in his homeland, he knows that he will be stepping up to a totally different level as he prepares to fight for a place in Alex McLeish’s side.
O’Shea is not the only Irish player that could feature in the Premier League this season as James McCarthy (Wigan Athletic), Chris McCann (Burnley), and Kevin Foley & Andy Keogh (both Wolverhampton Wanderers) are all set to make their bows in the top flight after impressing in other leagues last year.
Here are three other Irish players to keep an eye out for in the coming season:
Keith Fahey (Birmingham City)
This slick midfielder joined The Blues back in January after completing a fine season in the League of Ireland with St Patrick’s Athletic.
The former Arsenal youngster forged quite a reputation for himself with The Super Saints as he produced a Man of the Match performance against Hertha Berlin in their UEFA Cup qualifier and went on to win the PFAI Player of the Year award before sealing his move to Birmingham City.
Since arriving at St. Andrews, Fahey has made a big impact. He scored on the final day of the Championship season to help his side win promotion and did enough in his few appearances to convince the Brum crowd that he is someone to watch out for this year.
Stephen Ward (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Ward has been at Wolves for a couple of years now and has established himself in the first-team squad during that period, but he will be aiming to really kick on this season.
The Dubliner was originally used as a striker when he was with Bohemians, but has primarily been employed at either left winger or left-back for Wolves. However, he did play some games in central midfield during pre-season, so he can be an option for that position too.
There will be a lot of competition for places in Mick McCarthy’s side this season, so Ward will have to work hard in order to nail down a spot in the starting eleven. Some may view his versatilty as a strength, but he should be looking to stick with one position and make it his own.
Seamus Coleman (Everton)
Hailed as one of the brightest talents to emerge from the League of Ireland in the last few years, Coleman has kept his head down and worked hard since signing for Everton earlier this year.
The tough-tackling right-back has made quite an impression in the Toffee’s reserve team and coach Alan Stubbs thinks that he won’t be long before he is pushing for a place in the first-team squad.
The ex-Sligo Rovers youngster has featured in pre-season for David Moyes’ team and many expect him to rival Tony Hibbert for the right-back slot. Whether he is given the chance to do so remains perhaps the toughest obstacle to overcome, but once he is given some game time the he will surely turn heads.
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