Gavin Bazunu (Southampton)
And so Bazunu lands in the Championship with a thud. After a couple of seasons on loan in League One, Southampton took a punt on the youngster stepping up to Premier League level, presumably encouraged by his displays for Ireland. It didn’t go well: Southampton were broadly risible, and relegated with games to spare. Bazunu was made to shoulder an unfair portion of the burden and his late-season dropping by Ruben Selles was nothing more than a fig leaf. Southampton were no better with Alex McCarthy instead.
Russell Martin is now in charge, and Bazunu should be comfortable in accommodating himself to his new manager’s passing demands. (Martin’s Swansea played more passes than anyone else in the Championship last season.)
While Bazunu was made to carry the can at the end of last season, it would be patronising to swerve the fact that many of his performances weren’t on par with his ability. The softer glare of the Championship’s lights should offer him a chance to build back his confidence, because he has lots of time yet to prove he belongs at the top level.
Shane Duffy (Norwich City)
Duffy’s dream move to Celtic curdled into a nightmare for a variety of reasons, some of them personal. He made an admirable return to the Irish set-up since, but has struggled to reignite his club career. He has made just 23 league appearances across the last two seasons, and has completed 90 minutes only three times since the start of 2022. Last season’s move to Fulham didn’t work out at all.
Thus he has taken a step down to the Championship, in a move chiefly cheerled by Stephen Kenny, who hailed the move to Carrow Road and a promise that David Wagner would build a defence around Duffy.
Duffy is still just 31, and a return to the top flight with Norwich should be a realistic ambition. So too should a return to the Irish squad. If the September window comes too soon, he might have the October window circled in his calendar already.
Luke McNally (Stoke City)
McNally’s breaking into the Irish senior squad seems an inevitability, and he might have done so already had he not been scrapping it out for a spot in which the squad is deepest. The former St Patrick’s Athletic spent last season on loan from Burnley at Coventry, for whom he played in the play-off final defeat to Luton Town at Wembley. Burnley were promoted, but their signing of Dara O’Shea meant another loan spell was the most productive use of McNally’s time. He is a classy centre-back and should impress at Stoke this season.
Finn Azaz (Plymouth Argyle)
One of the most intriguing prospects of the season ahead. Azaz returns to Plymouth on loan this year having impressed at the club last year, although this time the reunion will happen in the Championship rather than League One. He signed a new contract with Aston Villa before he returned to Argyle for the season ahead. How he will handle the step up will be fascinating. Eight goals and nine assists in League One last season was an impressive return, and how he handles the step up to the Championship will be fascinating.
Azaz made his debut for the Irish U21s against the other side for whom he qualifies, Israel, in the Euros play-off defeat last season, and, as an attacking midfield player, is of a profile which the Irish squad lacks. An impressive campaign in England’s second-tier may bring senior honours.
Adam Idah (Norwich City)
Now to a much better-known quantity. Idah finally scored his first goal for Ireland in the June win over Gibraltar, and returns to Norwich ready to step out of Teemu Pukki’s shadow. In spite of a stop-start time with injuries, Norwich have retained faith in Idah, and have signed him to a renewed deal running to 2028.
His main competition at Carrow Road is new signing Ashley Barnes, and if he can stay injury-free, this can be the season Idah delivers on his potential and his club’s show of faith.
Aaron Connolly (Hull City)
By contrast, Hull have shown Connolly a caveated show of faith. They took him on loan from Brighton midway through last season, but that spell was cut short by injury. The club have decided to being him back for the season ahead, albeit on just a one-year deal. Connolly therefore has to prove himself, although he is a favourite of manager Liam Rosenior, with whom he worked at Brighton.
Having failed to grasp opportunities at Middlesbrough and Venezia, Connolly has now left Brighton for good and needs to make an impression this season to ensure he can look back at the Championship as a launch-pad as opposed to a ceiling.
Honourable mentions
Ryan Manning has reunited with Russell Martin at Southampton and is still trying to force himself into Stephen Kenny’s more immediate thoughts.
Harry Vaughan’s rise through the ranks to the Irish U21s and Hull’s first team has been impressive, and the teenager should see this season as the chance to nail down a regular starting berth.
Promoted Ipswich recruited Jack Taylor from League One Peterborough, and consistency in the Championship might be enough to force Taylor from the fringes of the Irish squad to a first cap.
There are two creative forces at Blackburn worth looking out for. Sammie Szmodics strong finish to last season raised questions as to why he was omitted from the Irish squad, while Zak Gilsenan – once of the Barcelona and Liverpool academies – is fit again after an ACL injury and has impressed in pre-season.
The Irish in the Championship 23/24
Birmingham City
- Kevin Long
- Scott Hogan
Blackburn Rovers
- Sammie Szmodics
- Zak Gilsenan
Bristol City
- Max O’Leary
- Jason Knight
- Mark Sykes
Cardiff City
- Callum O’Dowda
- Callum Robinson
- Mark McGuinness
- Joel Bagan
Hull City
- Sean McLoughlin
- Aaron Connolly
- Harry Vaughan
- Cyrus Christie
Ipswich Town
- Jack Taylor
- Marcus Harness
Middlesbrough
- Darragh Lenihan
- Alex Gilbert
Millwall
- Aidomo Emakhu
- Danny McNamara
Norwich City
- Shane Duffy
- Andrew Omobamidele
- Adam Idah
- Tony Springett
- Emmanuel Adegboyega
Plymouth Argyle
- Finn Azaz
- Tyreik Wright
Preston North End
- Greg Cunningham
- Alan Browne
- Robbie Brady
- Will Keane
QPR
- Jimmy Dunne
- Sinclair Armstrong
Rotherham
- Georgie Kelly
- Joshua Kayode
Southampton
- Gavin Bazunu
- Will Smalbone
- Ryan Manning
Stoke
- Mark Travers
- Luke McNally
- Enda Stevens
West Brom
- Jayson Molumby
