Over the last 30 years or so, we have seen football grow exponentially on and off the field. Transfer fees, wages, commercial deals, even ticket prices; everything has inflated to the astronomical levels we see today across the world. Technology obviously has improved in this time also, making the game much more global in terms of the availability of footage, information, data and statistics. As a result, we see players who are in-demand with very large price tags attached to them, tonnes of interest from big clubs, and little chance for the less affluent to unearth a gem.
This is particularly pertinent right now as almost every industry, football included, is suffering the economic effects of COVID-19. Clubs need to be prudent as well as thorough in their scouting to ensure that any expenditure is wisely spent.
Matt Doherty’s recent transfer from Wolves to Spurs for €16m saw his first professional club, Bohemians, pocket 10% of the fee due to a clause they inserted 10 years ago, when he initially moved to Wolves. This is potentially seismic for the Dublin club.
Wolves signed him for €90,000 in 2010. He played over 250 games for Wolves. They sold him for almost 178 times what they paid for him. Talk about value!
This isn’t an anomaly in Irish football either. In fact, there are many examples of top, established players beginning their careers in the League of Ireland. This got me thinking, and from my research, over the last 10 years, 27 players transferred from an LOI team to a British club for a fee. The average fee was €167,615. Some of these players have gone on to be Premier League and International players and you may be surprised by one or two of the price tags.
Here’s just 5 selected examples that have stood out for me over the last 10/15 years:
Seamus Coleman – €70,000 (Sligo Rovers to Everton, 2009)
Probably the most well documented of the Irish bargains. Everton and Ireland captain, Seamus has played over 350 games for Everton. Seamus has appeared at the 2016 European Championships finals for Ireland, captaining the side against Italy and France. A stalwart for both club and country.
Shane Long – €75,000 (Cork City to Reading, 2007)
Long moved to Reading at the same time (and possibly the same deal) that saw Kevin Doyle swap Cork for Reading. Long has gone on to play over 80 times for Ireland and has played at the top level of English football for close to a decade, seeing him accumulate almost €30m in transfer fees throughout his career to date.
Matt Doherty – €90,000 (Bohemians to Wolves, 2010)
Over 250 games for Wolves, having been promoted with the club from League 1 to the Premier League, securing two successive 8th place finishes and a Europa League quarter final appearance in 2020. One of the top right wing backs in the Premier League for the last two seasons. Recently moved to Tottenham Hotspur and will play in Europe again next season under Jose Mourinho.
Ryan Manning €68,000 (Galway to QPR, 2014)
A recent example of the value for money within the League of Ireland. Manning, who is an Irish international in waiting has had a really strong season at QPR and has recently been linked with a move to West Ham in the Premier League. At 24, he’s one to watch over the coming years as there’s high hopes for him within the Irish setup.
Stephen Ward €10,000 (Bohemians to Wolves, 2007)
This may seem quite low (and I’m unsure myself!), but Ward seems to have transferred to Wolves in 2007 for less than the price of a used Ford Focus, and has gone on to win 50 caps for Ireland, including 6 appearances between Euro’s 2012 and 2016. Ward has played for Burnley and Wolves for many years in the Premier League and has recently signed a contract with Ipswich Town.
Admittedly, I had to fact check one or two of the prices and I’m open to correction, but regardless, the overall consensus shows us that there is lots of untapped talent in the League of Ireland that maybe you should be taking a look at.
Have I missed any bargains? Get in touch if you’d like to chat more on this or would like any further information.
(all values taken from Transfermarkt)