Updated 17.20
DESPITE A REPORT this morning that Paul O’Connell’s move to France was in jeopardy due to an issue with his shoulder, Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal says his club have signed the Ireland captain.
Var-Matin, a newspaper with extremely close ties to Toulon, reports Boudjellal confirmed to them that O’Connell signed a two-year contract, the second year of which is optional, in the south of France yesterday.
Boudjellal is quoted as telling Var-Matin that O’Connell “very much wants to finish his career as Jonny Wilkinson did,” having been in contact with RCT since January.
Despite this morning’s report in rugby newspaper Midi Olympique that a longstanding shoulder injury had seen Toulon question their deal with O’Connell, Var-Matin says the second row passed his medical examination in Toulon.
This latest report suggests that O’Connell’s signing of the contract yesterday “definitively lifts any doubt” about his move to Toulon next season.
The window for Top 14 clubs to announce new signings ahead of next season officially closes at midnight tonight.
Midi Olympique had suggested the French side may look elsewhere in the short-term following concern over a shoulder issue.
While the rugby newspaper did point out that Toulon might still sign O’Connell after the World Cup as a ‘medical joker’, helping them to save money on his salary, there was also word that Toulon were looking at alternatives, including 33-year-old Australian lock Mark Chisholm.
The article mentioned that O’Connell is wanted by Pau, who were promoted into the Top 14 after a dominant season in the Pro D2. The Ireland second row laughed off links with the Simon Mannix-coached club back in November, but Midi Olympique says they proposed a one-year contract.
- First published at 9.15. Additional reporting from Murray Kinsella.
Who backs Delaney tho’ ? For such a small & beautiful country we accept a very low standard & we pay the wrong people way too much.
Delaney is a gormless plank,put into the FAI by his ticket tout father
Far from gormless.
Figure out how he can be removed from office, who has to agree to it and who pays their wages.
Nothing gormless about that.
Ah who cares, Trap is still manager. Just have to get used to it till he’s gone. COYBIG !!
Too little too late, both Delaney and Trapp are stuck in a greed warp, unconscionably high salaries and selling Irish soccer short. Under their stewardship, a cancer is taking hold of Irish football that is going to end up setting us back decades.
To appease fans, the big news is that Trapp is attending a match in England today – says it all that this is news. Delaney should go for giving this has been a new long term unaffordable contract before the Euros and Trapp should have been fired. Upcoming friendlys should be boycotted. €150,000 pa is more than enough to pay the FAI head.
Thats even too much for Delaney to be honest,he shouldn’t be there,look at the state if the irish league!!
Sick of the same news recycled by the press everyday about Trap , he’s the manager so let’s move on and back him up during the qualifiers because if we don’t do that we’ve no chance of getting to the world cup.
Trap and Delaney are symbolic of FG and Labour. Only concerned about bondholder payments to themselves.
What?
We hava gooda mentality and a gooda team.
If only.
That Delaney fella is some ass clown, he should have stepped down after the 33rd country comment after the French match, 450k a year for making comments like that. But sure why step down if your signing your own checks. His stupid head suits Irish soccer in fairness, annoying!!
Wolfgang do u read your comments before you post them??
No, why do u?
Sports administration at the highest level in any sport is all political and John Delaney is the consumate politician. No matter how you do the sums we cannot afford for Trap to go with bankrupting the FAI finanacially, so you might as well get used to having Trap until the end of the road for us at WC 2014 however soon it comes to an end for us.
look at the head of tardelli looks like he is hiding something from trap..I smell a rat!
Lol looks like he’s just farted and Trap’s just got wind of it!
LOL. Spot on Mac.
How much do the Irish government contribute toward the FAI either in direct subsidies or in tax breaks, allowances, advertising on pitches, employment grants, ticket purchases, the list goes on. Transparency please as their are people hungry in Ireland while Delaney is bleeding the system for pension and expenses plus his salary. How much will his pension cost as I think he will live to be 100 in spite of us all.
Trap should join Fianna Fail
So John delay gets paid 360000 a year , amount cut in fai grant aid to local clubs last year 370k , how are we still paying so much for such bad leadership and organisation?? A symbol of everything that’s wrong with country at the moment..