We’ve focused on the players who have a reasonable chance of featuring for Ireland during the World Cup Qualification campaign.
Goalkeepers:
Darren Randolph (West Ham)
RATED HIGHLY BY the management and fans at West Ham, Randolph will have a tough decision if he has any offers this summer.
The Bray man’s six starts in the Premier League last season were due to West Ham’s first-choice goalkeeper Adrian picking up a suspension, following a red card against Leicester at the start of the season, and after the Spaniard sustained a calf injury against West Brom in the run-in.
Randolph did start all of the Hammers’ FA Cup matches and could be in line to start their Europa League games, but whether that’s enough for the former Birmingham City goalkeeper to stay with Slaven Bilic’s side remains to be seen.
PA Wire / Press Association Images
PA Wire / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
Keiren Westwood (Sheffield Wednesday)
The 31-year-old enjoyed another successful season with the Owls, and may well be tempted to stay in the Championship next season where he is regarded as one of the division’s best goalkeepers.
There have been rumours that Premier League new boys Hull City are monitoring Westwood’s situation at Hillsborough.
David Davies
David Davies
David Forde (Millwall)
The 36-year-old may well have played his last game for Ireland, but having been a latecomer to the international scene, he is unlikely to turn down a call from O’Neill if he is required by the national team.
Losing his place in the Millwall starting line-up ultimately proved decisive in the Galway man not travelling to France, having not played in League One since January.
EMPICS Sport
EMPICS Sport
Ian Lawlor (Manchester City)
The Ireland U21 goalkeeper will be looking for another move to a Football League club, after enjoying mixed spells on-loan at Barnet and Bury last season.
Lawlor, who turns 22 in October, has made only 17 league appearances so far in his career, and will be looking to gain further experience with more first-team football next season.
PA Archive / Press Association Images
PA Archive / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
Defenders:
Cyrus Christie (Derby County)
Failed to feature for Ireland in Euro 2016, but is considered one of Ireland’s most exciting talents.
The 23-year-old has already raked up 165 league starts in his career and may see a move to the Premier League as the natural progression, but with Nigel Pearson installed as Derby’s new manager, the former Coventry City trainee may consider staying one more season at the iPro Stadium.
Nigel French
Nigel French
Shane Duffy (Blackburn Rovers)
The Derry man looks to have a big future ahead of him, and has all the attributes required to make it to the top of the game. Duffy is enjoying the most successful stint of his career to the date at Ewood Park, after mixed spells on loan at other Football League sides.
Crystal Palace have been linked with the 24-year-old, where he could potential succeed Damien Delaney in the heart of the Palace defence.
Richard Sellers
Richard Sellers
John Egan (Gillingham)
The 23-year-old was named in the League One Team of the Year at the end of last season as Gillingham just missed out on the play-offs.
Egan has a very similar stature and style to Duffy, and a move to a Championship club will further enhance his international credentials.
EMPICS Sport
EMPICS Sport
Alex Pearce (Derby County)
The former Scotland underage international’s free transfer from Reading to Derby last season simply hasn’t worked for either party, as Pearce failed to make a single league appearance for the Rams.
His loan move to Bristol City didn’t work out either, and made only three league starts for the Robins. The 27-year-old has been on the periphery of the Irish squad for the last couple of seasons, but could return to the fold if he was to get more first-team football.
Ryan Browne
Ryan Browne
Kevin Long (Burnley)
The former Cork City defender made his Premier League debut for the Clarets in January 2015, but it lasted only 21 minutes after he suffered a cruciate knee injury against Newcastle.
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The 25-year-old has struggled to cement his place in the Burley side and has had loan spells at Barnsley and MK Dons.
Jon Buckle
Jon Buckle
Marc Wilson (Stoke City)
Having struggled with injuries for the last couple of seasons, the versatile defender may need to leave Stoke in order to get more first-team opportunities.
The 28-year-old has not played for the Potters since picking up an injury against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup in January. Although Wilson made 25 league starts for Stoke in the 2014-15 season, he made just one in an injury-plagued season last year.
A drop down to the Championship may be to the long-term benefit of the Antrim man.
Rui Vieira
Rui Vieira
Midfielders:
David Meyler (Hull City)
The 27-year-old signed a two-year contract extension with the Tigers at the start of the year, but has struggled to nail down a regular starting place with Hull, having made just 84 league starts in the last three-and-a-half-years.
Steve Bruce is likely to add more quality to his newly-promoted side, further reducing the Cork man’s first-team chances next season.
EMPICS Sport
EMPICS Sport
Eunan O’Kane (Bournemouth)
An integral part of the Bournemouth side that earned promotion to the Premier League, the 25-year-old was restricted to just six league starts last season, with a further 10 appearances coming from the bench.
O’Kane made his Ireland debut against Switzerland in March, but may need to move to push for a regular place in the Irish starting line-up.
PA Archive / Press Association Images
PA Archive / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
Chris Forrester (Peterborough United)
The former St Pat’s man has earned many admirers across the water since his move from the League of Ireland.
Deployed in a deeper role than he was he accustomed to at Richmond Park, the 23-year-old has shown he is more than capable of competing in English football. A move away from the League One side, to a higher level, would not be a surprise.
EMPICS Sport
EMPICS Sport
Jeff Hendrick (Derby County)
One of Ireland’s standout players during Euro 2016, it may now be time for the 24-year-old to make the move to the Premier League having been with the Rams since 2009.
A stop-start season limited Hendrick to just 22 league starts in the Championship last season, with a further 11 coming from the bench. A move outside of the UK would also not be out of the question.
Tim Goode
Tim Goode
Josh Cullen (West Ham)
The 20-year-old has already made his Premier League debut for the Hammers, after coming off the bench against Liverpool at Anfield last year.
The former England U18 international, enjoyed a successful loan stint with Bradford City in League One at the end of last season, and another loan move will further help the highly-rated midfielder’s development.
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EMPICS Sport
Jack Byrne (Manchester City)
On the verge of joining Championship side Blackburn Rovers on a temporary basis for the new season, after enjoying a successful spell with SC Cambuur in the Eredivisie last year, where he scored four goals in 27 games.
Moving closing to home will allow Irish fans to see the 20-year-old on a more regular basis, which can only help him stake his claim in the senior side.
Barrington Coombs
Barrington Coombs
Aiden McGeady (Everton)
It’s highly unlikely that Everton will still want McGeady at Goodison Park come the start of the season.
His move to Sheffield Wednesday didn’t work as planned, where he was deemed surplus to requirements during the play-offs, but it did earn the former Celtic winger vital game time ahead of the European Championships.
Spent time earlier in his career with Spartak Moscow in Russia, so don’t rule a move outside the UK for the 30-year-old.
Barrington Coombs
Barrington Coombs
Callum O’Dowda (Oxford United)
The 21-year-old may be a League Two player but has managed to feature 87 times for Oxford United since making his debut in 2013.
An exciting talent, O’Dowda contributed 10 goals for the U’s last season, and has already has been linked with a move to the Championship with Derby, having made his debut for Ireland at Turner’s Cross against Belarus.
Paul Harding
Paul Harding
Robbie Brady (Norwich City)
Having suffered back-to-back relegations, Brady could start next season with a third different club in as many years.
Along with Hendrick, Brady would have caught the eye of the scouts out in France and has already been linked with a move to Premier League champions, Leicester City.
Martin Rickett
Martin Rickett
Alan Judge (Brentford)
Judge’s Euro 2016 hopes were ended after he suffered a double lower-leg fracture against Blackburn Rovers in April, but was still named in the Championship Team of the Year and Football League Team of the Year last season.
The 27-year-old will be in demand this summer, despite his injury, and could prove an inspired signing for a side like Newcastle United looking to bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt.
Scott Heavey
Scott Heavey
Wes Hoolahan (Norwich City)
The Dubliner finds himself back in the Football League, where he was named as part of their Team of the Decade in 2015.
Having turned 34 in May, Hoolahan must now decide if he is willing to face the rough-and-tumble of the Championship, where the games come thick and fast.
The former Shelbourne midfielder has at least a couple more seasons at the top of the game, but will a Premier League club be prepared to take a chance on Hoolahan?
David Davies
David Davies
Forwards:
Eoin Doyle (Cardiff City)
The former Sligo Rovers striker has struggled to transfer his goalscoring form for Chesterfield to the Championship.
The 28-year-old spent last season on-loan with Preston from parent club Cardiff City, but managed just four league goals in 28 matches.
Scott Heppell
Scott Heppell
Paddy Madden (Scunthorpe)
The striker signed a new three-year contract with Scunthorpe last season, but having scored 20 league goals as his side narrowly missed reaching the play-offs in League One, he certainly will be a transfer target for a host of clubs.
The 26-year-old’s only cap for Ireland was against Wales, in a friendly in 2013.
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EMPICS Sport
Simon Cox (Unattached)
Having won 30 caps for Ireland, Cox has rarely featured under Martin O’Neill despite being a regular name in his expanded squad lists.
The 29-year-old was released by Reading at the end of the season, after finally scoring his first goal since 2014 in April.
EMPICS Sport
EMPICS Sport
Leon Best (Unattached)
The 29-year-old was released by Rotherham United at the end of the season, after the Millers produced a stunning string of results to save themselves from relegation, in which Best scored four goals in 16 games.
Injury problems have hampered Best’s progression, but could be a shrewd signing for a bottom-half Championship club.
Nigel French
Nigel French
Selected transfers already completed: Aaron McCarey (Wolves to Ross County), Anothony Stokes (Celtic to Blackburn Rovers), Conor Sammon (Derby to Hearts), Padraig Amond (Grimsby Town to Hartlepool United).
Do you agree? Let us know who you think will get a move this summer.
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25 Irish players that could be looking for a move during the summer window
We’ve focused on the players who have a reasonable chance of featuring for Ireland during the World Cup Qualification campaign.
Goalkeepers:
Darren Randolph (West Ham)
RATED HIGHLY BY the management and fans at West Ham, Randolph will have a tough decision if he has any offers this summer.
The Bray man’s six starts in the Premier League last season were due to West Ham’s first-choice goalkeeper Adrian picking up a suspension, following a red card against Leicester at the start of the season, and after the Spaniard sustained a calf injury against West Brom in the run-in.
Randolph did start all of the Hammers’ FA Cup matches and could be in line to start their Europa League games, but whether that’s enough for the former Birmingham City goalkeeper to stay with Slaven Bilic’s side remains to be seen.
Keiren Westwood (Sheffield Wednesday)
The 31-year-old enjoyed another successful season with the Owls, and may well be tempted to stay in the Championship next season where he is regarded as one of the division’s best goalkeepers.
There have been rumours that Premier League new boys Hull City are monitoring Westwood’s situation at Hillsborough.
David Forde (Millwall)
The 36-year-old may well have played his last game for Ireland, but having been a latecomer to the international scene, he is unlikely to turn down a call from O’Neill if he is required by the national team.
Losing his place in the Millwall starting line-up ultimately proved decisive in the Galway man not travelling to France, having not played in League One since January.
Ian Lawlor (Manchester City)
The Ireland U21 goalkeeper will be looking for another move to a Football League club, after enjoying mixed spells on-loan at Barnet and Bury last season.
Lawlor, who turns 22 in October, has made only 17 league appearances so far in his career, and will be looking to gain further experience with more first-team football next season.
Defenders:
Cyrus Christie (Derby County)
Failed to feature for Ireland in Euro 2016, but is considered one of Ireland’s most exciting talents.
The 23-year-old has already raked up 165 league starts in his career and may see a move to the Premier League as the natural progression, but with Nigel Pearson installed as Derby’s new manager, the former Coventry City trainee may consider staying one more season at the iPro Stadium.
Shane Duffy (Blackburn Rovers)
The Derry man looks to have a big future ahead of him, and has all the attributes required to make it to the top of the game. Duffy is enjoying the most successful stint of his career to the date at Ewood Park, after mixed spells on loan at other Football League sides.
Crystal Palace have been linked with the 24-year-old, where he could potential succeed Damien Delaney in the heart of the Palace defence.
John Egan (Gillingham)
The 23-year-old was named in the League One Team of the Year at the end of last season as Gillingham just missed out on the play-offs.
Egan has a very similar stature and style to Duffy, and a move to a Championship club will further enhance his international credentials.
Alex Pearce (Derby County)
The former Scotland underage international’s free transfer from Reading to Derby last season simply hasn’t worked for either party, as Pearce failed to make a single league appearance for the Rams.
His loan move to Bristol City didn’t work out either, and made only three league starts for the Robins. The 27-year-old has been on the periphery of the Irish squad for the last couple of seasons, but could return to the fold if he was to get more first-team football.
Kevin Long (Burnley)
The former Cork City defender made his Premier League debut for the Clarets in January 2015, but it lasted only 21 minutes after he suffered a cruciate knee injury against Newcastle.
The 25-year-old has struggled to cement his place in the Burley side and has had loan spells at Barnsley and MK Dons.
Marc Wilson (Stoke City)
Having struggled with injuries for the last couple of seasons, the versatile defender may need to leave Stoke in order to get more first-team opportunities.
The 28-year-old has not played for the Potters since picking up an injury against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup in January. Although Wilson made 25 league starts for Stoke in the 2014-15 season, he made just one in an injury-plagued season last year.
A drop down to the Championship may be to the long-term benefit of the Antrim man.
Midfielders:
David Meyler (Hull City)
The 27-year-old signed a two-year contract extension with the Tigers at the start of the year, but has struggled to nail down a regular starting place with Hull, having made just 84 league starts in the last three-and-a-half-years.
Steve Bruce is likely to add more quality to his newly-promoted side, further reducing the Cork man’s first-team chances next season.
Eunan O’Kane (Bournemouth)
An integral part of the Bournemouth side that earned promotion to the Premier League, the 25-year-old was restricted to just six league starts last season, with a further 10 appearances coming from the bench.
O’Kane made his Ireland debut against Switzerland in March, but may need to move to push for a regular place in the Irish starting line-up.
Chris Forrester (Peterborough United)
The former St Pat’s man has earned many admirers across the water since his move from the League of Ireland.
Deployed in a deeper role than he was he accustomed to at Richmond Park, the 23-year-old has shown he is more than capable of competing in English football. A move away from the League One side, to a higher level, would not be a surprise.
Jeff Hendrick (Derby County)
One of Ireland’s standout players during Euro 2016, it may now be time for the 24-year-old to make the move to the Premier League having been with the Rams since 2009.
A stop-start season limited Hendrick to just 22 league starts in the Championship last season, with a further 11 coming from the bench. A move outside of the UK would also not be out of the question.
Josh Cullen (West Ham)
The 20-year-old has already made his Premier League debut for the Hammers, after coming off the bench against Liverpool at Anfield last year.
The former England U18 international, enjoyed a successful loan stint with Bradford City in League One at the end of last season, and another loan move will further help the highly-rated midfielder’s development.
Jack Byrne (Manchester City)
On the verge of joining Championship side Blackburn Rovers on a temporary basis for the new season, after enjoying a successful spell with SC Cambuur in the Eredivisie last year, where he scored four goals in 27 games.
Moving closing to home will allow Irish fans to see the 20-year-old on a more regular basis, which can only help him stake his claim in the senior side.
Aiden McGeady (Everton)
It’s highly unlikely that Everton will still want McGeady at Goodison Park come the start of the season.
His move to Sheffield Wednesday didn’t work as planned, where he was deemed surplus to requirements during the play-offs, but it did earn the former Celtic winger vital game time ahead of the European Championships.
Spent time earlier in his career with Spartak Moscow in Russia, so don’t rule a move outside the UK for the 30-year-old.
Callum O’Dowda (Oxford United)
The 21-year-old may be a League Two player but has managed to feature 87 times for Oxford United since making his debut in 2013.
An exciting talent, O’Dowda contributed 10 goals for the U’s last season, and has already has been linked with a move to the Championship with Derby, having made his debut for Ireland at Turner’s Cross against Belarus.
Robbie Brady (Norwich City)
Having suffered back-to-back relegations, Brady could start next season with a third different club in as many years.
Along with Hendrick, Brady would have caught the eye of the scouts out in France and has already been linked with a move to Premier League champions, Leicester City.
Alan Judge (Brentford)
Judge’s Euro 2016 hopes were ended after he suffered a double lower-leg fracture against Blackburn Rovers in April, but was still named in the Championship Team of the Year and Football League Team of the Year last season.
The 27-year-old will be in demand this summer, despite his injury, and could prove an inspired signing for a side like Newcastle United looking to bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt.
Wes Hoolahan (Norwich City)
The Dubliner finds himself back in the Football League, where he was named as part of their Team of the Decade in 2015.
Having turned 34 in May, Hoolahan must now decide if he is willing to face the rough-and-tumble of the Championship, where the games come thick and fast.
The former Shelbourne midfielder has at least a couple more seasons at the top of the game, but will a Premier League club be prepared to take a chance on Hoolahan?
Forwards:
Eoin Doyle (Cardiff City)
The former Sligo Rovers striker has struggled to transfer his goalscoring form for Chesterfield to the Championship.
The 28-year-old spent last season on-loan with Preston from parent club Cardiff City, but managed just four league goals in 28 matches.
Paddy Madden (Scunthorpe)
The striker signed a new three-year contract with Scunthorpe last season, but having scored 20 league goals as his side narrowly missed reaching the play-offs in League One, he certainly will be a transfer target for a host of clubs.
The 26-year-old’s only cap for Ireland was against Wales, in a friendly in 2013.
Simon Cox (Unattached)
Having won 30 caps for Ireland, Cox has rarely featured under Martin O’Neill despite being a regular name in his expanded squad lists.
The 29-year-old was released by Reading at the end of the season, after finally scoring his first goal since 2014 in April.
Leon Best (Unattached)
The 29-year-old was released by Rotherham United at the end of the season, after the Millers produced a stunning string of results to save themselves from relegation, in which Best scored four goals in 16 games.
Injury problems have hampered Best’s progression, but could be a shrewd signing for a bottom-half Championship club.
Selected transfers already completed: Aaron McCarey (Wolves to Ross County), Anothony Stokes (Celtic to Blackburn Rovers), Conor Sammon (Derby to Hearts), Padraig Amond (Grimsby Town to Hartlepool United).
Do you agree? Let us know who you think will get a move this summer.
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!
Optimism the overriding feeling as O’Neill looks to take Ireland onwards and upwards
Man United to get answer on Mourinho’s primary transfer target this week
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