11 Irish players who moved abroad in 2023
Justin Ferizaj — Shamrock Rovers to Frosinone
The 18-year-old Dublin-born midfielder has been considered one of Irish football’s top prospects for a while now. He made a handful of first-team appearances for Shamrock Rovers, both in the Premier Division and Europe. Ferizaj also had trials at Tottenham and Hamburg, while also reportedly turning down a contract offer from Sampdoria before eventually linking up with the academy of another Italian side, Frosinone, last August for an undisclosed fee.
Jack Moylan — Shelbourne to Lincoln
Last season’s Premier Division joint top scorer with 15 goals, Moylan will be a big loss for Damien Duff’s Shelbourne. However, the 22-year-old from Kilbarrack looks like he could make a big impact in League One. He will be joining a sizeable Irish contingent this January at Lincoln City, who already have Danny Mandroiu, Paudie O’Connor, Dylan Duffy, Sean Roughan, Olamide Shodipo and Oisin Gallagher on their books.
Matthew Moore — Cork City to Hoffenheim
One of the more eye-catching transfers primarily because the move from the League of Ireland to the Bundesliga is a rare one. The midfielder has captained Ireland at U16 level and made the switch for an undisclosed fee last July. Cork City’s Head of Academy, Liam Kearney has described Moore as a player whose “dedication to his game on and off the field has led to him reaching new levels each year”.
Roland Idowu — Waterford to Shrewsbury
Idowu turns 22 in January and already, the attacking midfielder has had plenty of clubs. The St Kevin’s Boys and St Joseph’s Boys youth product played at underage level with both Southampton and Cardiff, before returning home to sign with Bohs. However, it was a move to Waterford that proved the catalyst for a return to England — Idowu registered nine goals and nine assists for the Blues as they were promoted back to the top flight in 2023. He joined League One side Shrewsbury Town on a two-and-a-half-year deal earlier this month.
Mark Doyle — St Patrick’s Athletic to Rhode Island FC
Last month it was announced that the 25-year-old had secured a move to the newly formed USL Championship club Rhode Island. That transfer comes following a couple of impressive seasons in the League of Ireland for both Drogheda and St Patrick’s Athletic, with the attacker registering 59 goals in 189 appearances overall.
Mark O’Mahony — Cork City to Brighton
Brighton have already had success buying one promising young striker from the League of Ireland, so they will be hoping Mark O’Mahony can follow in the footsteps of Evan Ferguson. The Ireland underage international signed a three-year contract for a reported fee of £50,000 from Cork City last January and has already made an impact at his new club. The 18-year-old has featured in Brighton’s Premier League matchday squad on more than one occasion, and already has senior experience under his belt, featuring 11 times in the League of Ireland First Division in 2022.
Barry Cotter — Shamrock Rovers to Barnsley
Another example of a player whose career was rejuvenated after a return to the League of Ireland. The 25-year-old from Ennis started at senior level with Limerick before earning a move to Ipswich Town. It didn’t work out at the Tractor Boys and so, Shamrock Rovers came calling. A productive loan spell at St Patrick’s Athletic followed and Cotter was eventually snapped up by League One side Barnsley on a three-and-a-half-year deal last January.
Aidan Keena — Sligo Rovers to Cheltenham
After a couple of loan stints and frustrating moves in Britain, the former Ireland U21 international from Mullingar saw his career take off after joining Sligo Rovers. A hugely impressive 2022 season in which he scored 18 goals from 32 appearances was enough for Cheltenham Town to take a punt on the striker last January for an undisclosed fee. The 24-year-old had a decent start, scoring six goals from 19 appearances last campaign. However, this season has been more of a struggle, with no goals from 20 League One appearances so far.
Dylan Duffy — UCD to Lincoln City
The 21-year-old attacker completed a move from UCD to Lincoln City last January. He has made 16 appearances this season in League One in addition to seven last year, although he has only started four times this term with competition from fellow League of Ireland graduate Danny Mandroiu among others.
Sean Moore — Cliftonville to West Ham
The 18-year-old, who can play at full-back or on the wing, joined West Ham on a three-year deal last June having produced a series of impressive displays with Cliftonville that saw him make the NIFL Premiership Team of the Year. Since then, he has been playing with the Hammers’ U21 side, while the youngster also made headlines earlier this year, when he switched international allegiances from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland.
Emmanuel Adegboyega — Drogheda to Norwich City
After spells with Dundalk and Drogheda, the 20-year-old joined Norwich in the summer of 2023. He only signed his first professional contract with Drogheda less than a month before the switch across the water was announced. The defender made 22 appearances in the 2023 Premier Division season and has initially linked up with the Canaries’ academy setup.
6 who could follow
Mason Melia (St Patrick’s Athletic)
One of the most exciting young players in Irish football currently, Melia is widely expected to make the move to England eventually. The 16-year-old scored twice in 10 Premier Division appearances in 2023, while he also became the youngest-ever player to play in an FAI Cup Final during the Saints’ triumph last November, as Melia was introduced off the bench in the 59th minute. In the same month, he signed a three-year professional contract with the club, but that development is unlikely to quell talk of a move, with Liverpool among the Premier League clubs reportedly monitoring the Wicklow-born player.
Sam Curtis (St Patrick’s Athletic)
Another hugely promising player that has come through at Pat’s having started with Shamrock Rovers II, Curtis has only just turned 18, but already, he has more than 50 Premier Division appearances under his belt. After an especially impressive 2023 campaign, the Navan-born defender was named PFAI Young Player of the Year, in the process becoming the youngest-ever footballer to win the award. It would be no surprise if it turned out to be his last League of Ireland campaign, with Man City and Chelsea among the many clubs linked with the Ireland U21 international.
James McManus (Bohemians)
A St Kevin’s Boys graduate, the 18-year-old midfielder impressed, registering two goals and two assists in 24 Premier Division appearances last season for Declan Devine’s side. McManus signed a new multi-year contract with Bohs as recently as last April but it has not stopped transfer speculation. The youngster, who sat his Leaving Cert exams in the summer, played on the same St Kevin’s Boys team as Evan Ferguson and Jamie Mullins. According to The Sun, Brighton, Luton, Brentford and Stoke are all interested in the teenager.
Adam Murphy (St Patrick’s Athletic)
The 18-year-old signed his first professional contract with St Patrick’s Athletic in July 2021 before making his senior debut for the club in February 2022. He was the youngest player to start a game for the club before being eclipsed by Sam Curtis and bad luck with injuries has curbed his progress since then. However, Murphy still managed to make 29 Premier Division appearances for Pat’s in the 2023 campaign. Championship club Bristol City have been strongly linked with his signature in recent months, and the midfielder may end up joining the Robins in January.
Jaden Umeh (Cork City)
Considered a hugely promising prospect, the Irish underage international is another player who is likely to leave the League of Ireland sooner rather than later. According to the Echo, the winger is set to sign for Portuguese side Benfica when he turns 16 in March. He has already made one Premier Division appearance for the Cork City first-team, coming on in the final 15 minutes of their 4-0 defeat to Bohemians last November.
Jonathan Afolabi (Bohemians)
The 23-year-old striker had a couple of frustrating seasons at Southampton and Celtic where game time was hard to come by. A few loan spells in Scotland also failed to pay dividends, but he has certainly found his feet at Bohemians. A breakthrough 2023 season saw the Dubliner score 15 times in 34 appearances for the Gypsies, who will surely struggle to hold onto their star man in the coming weeks. According to The Irish Independent, a six-figure bid from the Championship has already tempted the League of Ireland club to cash in on their prized asset.
