CAOIMHIN KELLEHER has been attracting positive headlines of late, but he is not the only Irish goalkeeper who has been impressing across the water this season.
Liverpool’s Carabao Cup final hero could come up against his rival for the Ireland number one jersey, as Gavin Bazunu’s Southampton travel to Anfield for this evening’s FA Cup fifth-round tie.
Following a difficult spell, there is a sense that the former Shamrock Rovers and Man City youngster has been rejuvenated of late.
Initially, the €18.5 million transfer to Southampton did not go as planned.
In Bazunu’s first season, the Saints were relegated after finishing 20th in the Premier League.
With 73 goals conceded, Leeds United were the only team in the division that had an inferior defensive record.
After one mistake too many, the Dubliner was even dropped for the club’s relegation run-in.
Having played in all of their first 32 Premier League games that season, Bazunu was absent for the final six, with Alex McCarthy coming in, though it seemingly made little difference, as they picked up just one point from a possible 18 during the games in question.
But the Saints’ awful form still meant Bazunu was a target for criticism — Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher described the goalkeeper as a “big problem” for the club.
“He found it quite hard settling in and we didn’t have a great defensive record,” says Jack Clarke of the influential @SaintsfcViews X account.
“Some people thought his time at the club might be over quite quickly.”
Other young players might have struggled to recover from such unfortunate and pressurised circumstances, yet there is a sense that Bazunu has come back stronger.
Key to his rejuvenation has been the sense of stability at the club.
Southampton had three managers last season — Ralph Hasenhüttl, Nathan Jones and Rubén Sellés — all of whom were ultimately let go.
This year, Russell Martin has proved to be a much-needed safe pair of hands, rebuilding the club and significantly, backing Bazunu wholeheartedly in the process.
With the manager immediately recalling him to the team, the Irishman has started all 34 of Southampton’s Championship matches so far.
Moreover, early on in the season, following a 4-4 draw with Norwich, Bazunu’s status as number one came under scrutiny again, yet the boss emphatically backed his man.
“We don’t have a problem with the goalkeeper,” Martin said at a fans’ forum event. “We have a full international who is 20 years old (sic). He will take unbelievable learning from last season playing in the team that finished bottom of the Premier League.
“That’s not easy for a goalkeeper and it’s definitely not easy for a young goalkeeper. Alex McCarthy is a really experienced number two, Joe Lumley is a really experienced number three. We have real strength in that department.
“I’ve been made aware of this narrative around Gav. Last season happened, you can’t impact that. What he can impact is that he’ll be one of the best goalkeepers in the division for how we want to play. If I was going to look at a goalkeeper I’d want to go and sign Gavin Bazunu. His mentality and how he’s been, how he’s trained and how he played, on Saturday he couldn’t do anything [about the goals].
“Like I said after the game, he doesn’t deserve to concede four goals and it’s not his problem at all, it’s the guys in front of him and we will learn from that.”
Since that moment, Bazunu has unquestionably grown in a Southampton jersey.
The club are currently fourth in the table, five points off second-place Leeds, and Bazunu has played a big part in their rise.
The 22-year-old’s performances were key in a 25-game unbeaten run that only ended earlier this month amid a 3-1 loss to Bristol City.
“He’s come on leaps and bounds this year,” says Clarke. “He’s been incredible. His overall game has really improved, his distribution, his shot stopping, he’s making a lot fewer errors as well. He’s become such an important player for us.
“I think he probably needed a season playing where he is now in the Championship, which is probably one of the hardest leagues in the world. I think this year has done him the world of good.”
Bazunu looks much happier in a team that has grown accustomed to winning games and sitting at the top end of the table while working under a manager who clearly believes in him and has introduced a new playing style and identity.
Not that it’s been entirely plain sailing, however. The club’s promotion hopes have been hit by a sudden collapse in form, which has seen them lose three of their last four Championship matches.
Just as Bazunu deserves plenty of credit for their impressive run earlier in the season, it should be acknowledged that he has not always been at his best of late.
There are occasional lapses of concentration, such as in last week’s 2-1 loss to Hull, when he played out a pass straight to an opposition player.
“He does have a mistake in him,” adds Clarke. “He pulls off some incredible saves and you think, how has he done that, one of the best saves you’ve seen all season. And then he’ll let in a very simple goal. There’s a real Jekyll and Hyde [dynamic] with him.”
Yet for the most part, Bazunu has excelled, silencing the many voices who were doubting him last season.
And the Dubliner was not the only Irish international coming into this campaign with a point to prove.
Will Smallbone has long been considered among Southampton’s most promising young players.
As far back as the 2019-20 campaign, the midfielder made nine Premier League appearances for the Saints.
Nonetheless, an ACL injury that same season put paid to Smallbone’s hopes of enjoying an extended run in the first team.
Since then, there is a sense that he has been playing catch-up.
After a handful of appearances back in the team following a long layoff, Smallbone joined Stoke City on loan last season in an attempt to resurrect his career.
The move proved beneficial for player and club alike — Smallbone was a regular presence in the Potters’ starting XI and his positive impact meant that the club were keen to hold onto him in the summer.
Instead, Smallbone opted to try his luck at Southampton once more and to a degree, it has been a successful campaign.
The 24-year-old is generally one of the first names on the teamsheet, playing 31 of the club’s 34 Championship outings so far.
Yet a player with his outstanding technical ability might feel he should have more than four goals and one assist.
The past few weeks in particular have been difficult for Smallbone. A box-to-box midfielder who looks to go forward, he has been asked to play more of a sitting role recently, with the club badly missing the injured Flynn Downes.
While Smallbone boasts an impressive range a passing, there is a feeling that he is not well suited to the more defensive ‘number 6′ role.
“His performances really split the fanbase,” says Clarke. “If you type his name into Twitter, some days he’s the best thing since sliced bread and other days everyone is asking: ‘Why is he still playing?’
“So I think he’s struggled to find consistency at this level and I think that’s because he’s being switched from position to position.
“I think in that 6 position he lacks the work-rate, positioning and awareness.”
Similarly, there are question marks over Galway native Ryan Manning.
Like Smallbone, he is a player who boasts impressive technical ability while looking vulnerable defensively at times.
Manning thrived under Martin at Swansea last season, earning a spot in the WhoScored.com Championship Team of the Season.
The manager took the Irish international with him to St Mary’s but the player has not flourished to the same extent as the 2022-23 campaign.
While featuring 30 times in the Championship, only 24 of those have been starts, suggesting he has shown a degree of inconsistency.
“I’ve just not seen enough this season from him to warrant his place in that starting lineup every week,” adds Clarke.
“He gives the ball away far too much. Defensively, he’s been found out a lot. I don’t know if it’s the way he is as a player or if he’s told to by the manager, but he stands off players a lot. It’s meant that a lot of crosses from the left come in and cause a lot of danger in our box.
“I think he’s a real momentum player. If he gets two or three games, and a chance to build momentum, he plays well. But sometimes when he comes into [the team], those performances aren’t the best.
“I think for the rest of the season, he’ll be in and out of the team, I don’t think he’s cemented himself as the first-choice left-back.”
On the other hand, it’s also obvious why Martin often does pick Manning in his starting lineup.
“He’s got an incredible delivery on him, he’s great at getting into those positions. And he’s always very dangerous getting forward.”
Whether all or any of the Irish trio start at Liverpool this evening is uncertain. Bazunu has been rested for previous FA Cup games and so, might have to be content with a place on the bench at Anfield in a game Martin has admitted his side “could do without”.
The priority, of course, will be winning promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt. Does Clarke believe it will be achieved?
“If you’d asked me three games ago, it would have been an automatic yes. This [recent losing] run has really killed us, so I think it will be touch and go, but we’ll be in the playoffs at least.”
Whatever happens, Messrs Bazunu, Smallbone and Manning will all likely have important roles to play.
And they might be joined in years to come by additional Irish performers, with teenagers Joe O’Brien-Whitmarsh and Romeo Akachukwu recently signed from Cork City and Waterford respectively, while Ireland underage international Luke Pearce is also part of the academy set-up there.
“What I think is really interesting is the amount of Irish players coming into the club,” adds Clarke. “There seems to be a really big emphasis in Ireland and a real crop of Irish players coming in.”
