1. Andrew Moran: Moran spent the latter half of 2025 on loan at Los Angeles FC, scoring one goal in 10 appearances for the Major League Soccer outfit. He is back at Brighton now, however, and not expected to progress to the Seagulls’ first team anytime soon, with his contract due to expire at the end of next season. The 22-year-old, who Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has described as having “an unbelievable attitude,” now may be set for a third spell in the Championship. Having previously had stints at Blackburn and Stoke City, relegation-threatened Portsmouth are the latest club to be linked with the former Bray Wanderers youngster. The club’s manager, John Mousinho, on Thursday declined to comment on reports they wanted to sign Moran, who will undoubtedly be keen to secure regular first-team football as the player bids to add to the three Ireland caps he has already won.  

2. Rocco Vata: The 20-year-old is highly thought of and has registered two goals and two assists in 10 Championship appearances for Watford this season. Galatasaray, Eintracht Frankfurt, Crystal Palace, and Fulham are among the clubs to have been linked with the Ireland U21 international.

3. Evan Ferguson: A difficult one to predict, as whether Ferguson is in or out of favour at Roma seems to change every week. The 21-year-old had a difficult start in Serie A, but his fortunes have improved recently, with three goals in his last four matches, including a player-of-the-match display in Monday’s 3-1 defeat of Genoa. According to Talksport, Brighton do not have an option to recall the player, meaning Roma would have to terminate the loan for him to return to England. With the Premier League outfit suffering injuries to attackers, Hurzeler recently suggested reintegrating Ferguson “might be an option”. Roma have recently been linked with other strikers, including Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee. And their manager, Gian Piero Gasperini, has been one of the Irishman’s fiercest critics at times. So it’s not guaranteed that the Meath native will be staying in the Italian capital this month, despite recent signs that he is gradually adapting to life there.

4. Trent Koné-Doherty: The Derry native is highly thought of in underage circles. He made his senior debut for Liverpool amid the FA Cup defeat to Plymouth last February, but still appears some way off a sustained run in their first team. At 19, the time might be right for the Ireland U21 international to go on loan, as a recent report in The Athletic suggested, as he seeks to establish himself as a first-team regular at senior level.

Mark O'Mahony of Republic of Ireland (file pic). Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

5. Mark O’Mahony: Another Irish youngster who Brighton have loaned out. The 20-year-old’s spell at Reading has not gone as well as he would have hoped. The former Cork City player has scored once in the FA Cup, but has failed to find the net in 19 League One appearances. O’Mahony has also been used primarily as an impact sub, with his last league start coming on 30 August. Given this limited game time, the young striker may feel he is better off trying his luck elsewhere in the second half of the season.

6. Adam Murphy: The 20-year-old Dubliner has found it difficult since leaving St Patrick’s Athletic and moving to England. Two years on from making the move, he is still awaiting his senior Bristol City debut, with injuries hampering his progress. Murphy joined Swindon Town on a season-long loan in September, but has only made three League Two appearances for the promotion contenders. Gerhard Struber, the manager of his parent club, hinted this week that he would consider recalling Murphy from the loan should first-team opportunities continue to prove elusive.

7. Alex Murphy: The 21-year-old former Galway United player had an encouraging loan spell at Bolton Wanderers last season, featuring 13 times for the League One club. Yet even with Newcastle suffering injuries to key defenders this campaign, Magpies manager Eddie Howe often seems reluctant to use the Ireland U21 international, with his only two appearances coming off the bench in the League Cup. Therefore, it could be in the left-back’s best interest to seek another move, either loan or permanent, elsewhere.

8. Sam Curtis: Another League of Ireland graduate who has had a somewhat frustrating time abroad. The former St Patrick’s Athletic player made 36 senior appearances across two loan spells last year, lining out for Portsmouth in League One and Scottish Premiership outfit St Johnstone. But the 20-year-old has only featured once for Sheffield United this season — in their 2-1 League Cup loss to Birmingham last August. He would surely benefit from another move in the coming weeks.

9. Shane Duffy: A key player for Ireland not so long ago, Duffy has struggled in recent seasons to maintain that level, and should Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side reach the World Cup, it’s hard to see the Derry native making the squad barring a significant improvement in his fortunes. The 34-year-old has had injury issues this season but has also struggled for form, restricting him to only four appearances so far for Norwich in the Championship. With his contract due to expire in the summer, Duffy may be keen not to wait until then before departing Carrow Road, although the fact that he is currently out with a hamstring injury may complicate matters.

10. Kevin Zefi: As a 15-year-old, in 2020, Zefi became the youngest goalscorer in League of Ireland history when scoring in the First Division for Shamrock Rovers II. But his trajectory since then is a reminder of how challenging football can be even for exceptional young talents. Zefi moved initially to Inter Milan before joining Roma in 2024, but couldn’t make a first-team breakthrough with either. It has been almost six months since he was spotted playing a pre-season friendly for Sligo Rovers, but there have been no major developments since then. The Ireland U21 international will hope to resolve his future and get his career back on track in the coming weeks.