2024 may have come to an ugly end for Ireland at Wembley, but there were some encouraging signs from the first few months of Heimir Hallgrímsson’s tenure.
Two competitive wins against Finland should be seen as a step in the right direction, and it was telling that the World Cup draw was met with cautious optimism by many within the Ireland fanbase.
Another hugely positive element of the past few months has been the impressive form of several Irish players at club level. Caoimhín Kelleher’s outstanding form for Liverpool is the standout, but the likes of Nathan Collins, Finn Azaz, Jamie McGrath, and even Matt Doherty (in recent weeks) have been bright sparks for their clubs this season.
For others, however, a move is now needed to revitalise their hopes of making an impact for Hallgrímsson at international level.
We’ve picked out five Irish players who need to pursue at least a loan move in January to kick-start their season.
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Ireland players in need of a move this January
Evan Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion)
14 November 2024; Evan Ferguson of Republic of Ireland celebrates after scoring his side’s first goal with team-mate Sammie Szmodics, left, during the UEFA Nations League B Group 2 match between Republic of Ireland and Finland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
After an explosive start to life with the Seagulls, the past year has been far tougher going for Evan Ferguson at Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Irishman has just one Premier League goal since last November, partly due to a lengthy injury layoff – the lethargy of which Ferguson has only recently started to shake off.
It would have seemed unthinkable this time last year to suggest Ferguson should leave the settled environment of the south coast of England, but a lot has changed in that intervening period.
Veteran striker Danny Welbeck and Joao Pedro have both firmly established themselves as Brighton’s leading strikers, with the likes of Simon Adingra and Georginio Rutter resigning Ferguson firmly to a role on the bench.
With Ferguson having failed even to make the bench for Brighton’s last two games, it seems as though the time has finally come for the Meathman to seek a revitalising loan move.
Jake O’Brien (Everton)
7 September 2024; Jarrod Bowen of England in action against Jake O’Brien of Republic of Ireland during the UEFA Nations League B Group 2 match between Republic of Ireland and England at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Jake O’Brien was one of the finest Irish players in Europe last season, one of the standouts at the heart of defence as Lyon finished sixth in Ligue 1. His move to Everton over the summer can therefore be considered nothing other than disastrous.
O’Brien has gone from being a vital cog in an improving team to warming the bench week-in-week-out for Dyche’s Toffees. Incredibly, the Corkonian has played just 34 minutes of Premier League football this season, despite being named in every single matchday squad. His Ireland career risks falling to a standstill as a result, with O’Brien only called up for November’s camp after injuries to the initial squad.
There may be challenges ahead, however. Reports this week suggest that Everton will refuse to let O’Brien leave on a loan deal, leaving the 23-year-old in something approaching limbo. For his sake and for Ireland’s, more regular football is utterly essential for O’Brien.
Mark Travers (Bournemouth)
17 November 2024; Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Mark Travers before the UEFA Nations League B Group 2 match between England and Republic of Ireland at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
A man who came close to a transfer in the summer, Mark Travers has once again spent most of this season on the bench for Bournemouth.
Travers filled in impressively when Kepa Arrizabalaga was briefly out of action in late October, but has been confined to just three Premier League appearances this campaign.
He was reportedly close to a move away from the club in August, before Neto’s loan move to Arsenal left Bournemouth keeping him to maintain squad depth between the sticks.
Travers proved with his display against Manchester City that he still has what it takes to make it at the top – but regular football is the only way he will be able to force his way back into Ireland contention.
Andrew Omobamidele (Nottingham Forest)
10 September 2024; Andrew Omobamidele of Republic of Ireland and Kostas Tsimikas of Greece during the UEFA Nations League B Group 2 match between Republic of Ireland and Greece at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile
When Andrew Omobamidele moved to Nottingham Forest, alarm bells were not ringing quite as loudly as they were in the case of Jake O’Brien’s transfer. However, it’s now safe to say it has been equally disastrous.
The 22-year-old has gone from being a highly-rated up-and-comer at Norwich to being almost completely out of the first-team picture at Forest. Across two seasons with Forest, Omobamidele has made just 11 Premier League appearances, and has been named in a matchday squad just once since September.
Heimir Hallgrímsson hinted at an injury issue that ruled Omobamidele out of November’s Nations League games – but also admitted that Omobamidele had simply not been playing enough football.
It seems as though Omobamidele is on the road to recovery, with reports linking him with a loan move to Leeds. At this stage, it is not a case of getting more regular football – it is about playing full stop for the youngster.
Johnny Kenny (Celtic)
12 December 2024; Johnny Kenny of Shamrock Rovers celebrates after scoring his side’s first goal during the UEFA Conference League 2024/25 league phase match between Shamrock Rovers and Borac at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
An outlier on this list, Johnny Kenny is yet to be capped at senior level for Ireland. A former U21 international, his form in the Conference League for Shamrock Rovers showed that he could well be a future senior player.
Kenny was massively impressive during Rovers’ league phase campaign, beaten out only by Chelsea’s Marc Guiu as the competition’s top scorer as the Hoops progressed to the knockout stages.
Rovers fans will be heartbroken to see Kenny return to his parent club of Celtic, with his last game coming in the heavy defeat to Chelsea last month.
Now is the time for Kenny to kick on and, with Kyogo, Nicklas Kuhn and Adam Idah all on the books in Glasgow, another loan move away from Celtic Park would surely be more beneficial.
He could do worse than a return to Tallaght, but any move at all could put 21-year-old Kenny in contention for an Ireland call-up later this year.
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