SOCCER: EMMET MALONE on how 17 of the 34 players used by Giovanni Trapattoni in seven games this season could be at new clubs before summer ends
REPORTS YESTERDAY that John O’Shea was waiting to see if any offers from higher ranking clubs than Sunderland came in before getting into any negotiations about a move to Wearside suggested the 30 year-old was beginning to resign himself to the idea that his 13-year stint at Old Trafford is finally coming to an end.
In the event he does go to Sunderland he is likely to be rather more central to Steve Bruce’s plans than he has been of late to Alex Ferguson’s but it’s still hard to imagine the move would have been high on Giovanni Trapattoni’s list of priorities when he said this week he hopes quite a few of his players will have switched clubs by the time he sees them next at the start of August.
In the build-up to the Italy game, the Republic of Ireland manager spoke fondly of his former Juventus player Cesare Prandelli, who is now head coach of the Azzurri. Frankly and yet admiringly, Trapattoni said the now 53-year-old was not a great player, but was the sort of good one that great clubs need about the place in order to achieve success.
O’Shea, one suspects, rather perfectly fits that description too and having played almost 400 games for United, including the 2009 Champions League final, it is a pity to see the Waterford man fall victim to the latest round of rebuilding by Ferguson, who saw last month just how much better his squad must be if it is to rival Barcelona for Europe’s greatest prize over the next few years.
In practical terms, a move for O’Shea would probably not make too much difference to Trapattoni. Assuming he stays fit, he should play more, but then he generally played enough at United – even last year, when he had a couple of spells out injured, he started 29 games in all competitions. The Italian would only have been expected to become concerned really if someone who has been a key defender for him over the last three years had started to slip irrevocably towards the margins at club level.
The problem is he has quite enough of that sort of thing on his hands already.
So far this year, Trapattoni has used a total of 34 players in Ireland’s seven games and the futures of 17 of those, precisely half, can be said with some certainty, to have been in play as the transfer market kicked into gear this week.
One, Keiren Westwood, already looks to have sorted out the bones of a move, also to Sunderland as it happens, while Darron Gibson is another Steve Bruce target who seems likely to be heading that way before too long.
The circumstances of the rest vary wildly. Shay Given is very well regarded but anxious to be guaranteed first-team football in a position where, as he has found to his cost at Manchester City, you are either in or out.
Kevin Kilbane is seeking to extend his career at as high a level as possible as he is anxious to be a part of the rest of this European campaign with Ireland. And James McCarthy, if Wigan decide to let him go, will be looking to move on to a bigger club in order to fulfil what looks to be his enormous potential.
The list includes seven of Trapattoni’s starters in Skopje last week plus the one substitute he used – Shane Long – and you could actually throw in Keith Andrews and Aiden McGeady as the former’s position is not guaranteed and the latter’s form in Russia is rumoured to have been attracting interest from Italy.
McGeady, in fact, is the only player who featured last Saturday who was an automatic choice for a top-flight club over the course of the last season and Trapattoni must be anxious to see Richard Dunne, Glenn Whelan and Robbie Keane, whether they move or not, are playing week in week out after the summer.
Like Given, Stephen Kelly really needs to get away if Martin Jol’s arrival at Craven Cottage does not mark a change in his fortunes while for Preston’s Seán St Ledger, Keith Treacy and Long the focus over the close season will be to secure deals with clubs at the highest level possible, which in the case of Reading striker Long at least, should mean the Premier League.
In his last two international games, Darren O’Dea has looked like a player with the potential to be an important figure for Ireland and Trapattoni could do with another option or two at centre back. At 24 the Dubliner has not made the sort of progress he should have during the last three seasons or so and, if Celtic do not intend to start him regularly, he urgently needs to make the right next move.
Perhaps the most encouraging thing about all of this from Trapattoni’s point of view over the last few weeks is that most of the group, including Hull’s Paul McShane and Wolves’ Andy Keogh, appear to know the score.
Making the sacrifices necessary to address the situation, though, may be another thing and we will see over the coming weeks to just what extent the desires of the market and Ireland manager coincide.
A team on the move
SHAY GIVEN:Said at the end of the January window that City had indicated they would let him go in the summer and will not want to hang around any longer. Endless speculation linking him with Arsenal and, more recently, Liverpool, looks set to come to nothing again but he is said to be considering offers from England, Italy and, according to Giovanni Trapattoni, other countries.
JOHN O'SHEA:Has never given the slightest hint of wanting to leave Old Trafford and apparently took umbrage a few years ago over reports linking him a move to Newcastle. If suggestions that a fee was agreed with Sunderland for a trio of players that included him is true, however, then his days with the Premier League champions would look to be numbered.
RICHARD DUNNE: The defender didn't have the greatest season for Villa and when you throw in the disciplinary problems under manager Gerard Houllier it's entirely possible that the Frenchman's successor will look to offload him. Wolves manager Mick McCarthy was reported this week to be interested but only if his preferred target, Birmingham City's Roger Johnson, proves too expensive.
SEÁN ST LEDGER: Having been regarded as a moderately hot property a couple of years ago, the defender admits that he is coming off the back of an indifferent season at Preston North End but the club want him off the books after being relegated and Ipswich Town are among the clubs said to be keen to keep him in the Championship.
DARRON GIBSON:Spoke with disdain about the notion of playing for like a club like Stoke City a year or so ago when Giovanni Trapattoni was suggesting he move in order to get more first-team football with Manchester United but now looks like he might be heading for Sunderland. Ended up playing a bit more than might have been expected at Old Trafford during the campaign just finished but never developed into the sort of player manager Alex Ferguson would have hoped.
STEPHEN KELLY:Had drifted to the margins at Fulham under former manager Mark Hughes and will be keen to see if Martin Jol, for whom he made 33 appearances in their two seasons together at Spurs, has bigger plans for him. If not, it would be good to see him move on and start playing regularly again.
KEVIN KILBANE:Huddersfield missing out on promotion robbed the 34-year-old of the perfect way to extend his career until the European Championships. Still under contract at Hull but limited possibilities there mean he will be on the lookout and may have to stay in League One if he wants to keep playing regularly.
DARREN O'DEA: On the strength of the last couple of weeks at least, it's hard to see really how Neil Lennon doesn't reckon the defender does not have more to offer in the SPL but after a mixed loan spell at Ipswich his future remains unclear with the player insisting he will not return to Glasgow to sit on the bench.
ROBBIE KEANE:Barring a miraculous shift in his fortunes at Tottenham, it will be another summer of transfer talk for the striker who has at least reminded interested employers of his potential these past few weeks after a disappointing stint at West Ham. Newcastle were also interested last time around and Fulham might be now former Spurs boss Jol is in charge.
PAUL MCSHANE:Still a Hull player but admits that he does not seem to feature in manager Nigel Pearson's plans there and would be willing to consider offers from rivals serious about letting him play regularly.
JAMES McCARTHY: His long talked of move to Liverpool seemed a good deal less likely this week after the club signed Jordan Henderson while Chelsea don't seem to be showing any urgency about pursuing the interest they expressed in January. His valuation is likely to be an issue and much may depend on how much Wigan generate from other sales.
SHANE LONG:Both the Reading chairman and manager have acknowledged that the striker will move on over the summer and a number of clubs including Celtic, Everton and Newcastle have reportedly been keeping an eye.
ANDY KEOGH:A couple of attempts to get away from Molineux in order to play more regular football have ended in frustration but the Dubliner is likely to be open to offers from interested Championship club over the close season.
KEITH TREACY: Continues to look like a player with the potential to make a significant impact at international level but clearly needs to avoid dropping down to League One with Preston at such a critical stage of his career. Burnley, Ipswich and Nottingham Forest have all been linked with the winger and the only question is who matches his current employers' €1.15 million valuation of him first.
ANTHONY STOKES: Said recently that he had no intention of going anywhere but Celtic manager Neil Lennon tends not to start him in big games and has also shown signs of tiring of the player's ill discipline so he could well be shown the door in an effort to make way for a new arrival.
KEIREN WESTWOOD: Has coolly let his contract run out at Coventry City despite pressure from the manager there to sign a new deal. Now looks set to be at Sunderland next season when Trapattoni will be hoping the 26-year-old can nail down a regular starting spot.
GLENN WHELAN:Came close to leaving Stoke back in January after losing his status as a regular starter for a spell. He stuck around despite interest from Newcastle and Wolves, however, and his part in the FA Cup run helped to re-establish him in the league side. His future now probably depends on how much wheeling and dealing Tony Pulis looks to do over the summer.
