BOHEMIANS BOSS ALAN Reynolds has revealed that Republic of Ireland international John Egan helped play matchmaker with shock new signing Lys Mousset.
The pair were teammates at Sheffield United in the Premier League and struck up a bond that remained strong as their careers went in different directions.
Reynolds confirmed that Egan informed a mutual acquaintance of Mousset’s availability and vouched for the kind of positive character he would be getting in the dressing room.
After a successful trial, the former Premier League striker agreed a deal with Bohs and is set to line out for their Premier Division opener with Shamrock Rovers in front of over 25,000 fans at Aviva Stadium this Sunday.
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“John Egan mentioned it to somebody… When Lys came over and trained, he was raving about, he loved the Irish lads, Enda [Stevens] and John Egan and so on, and he was saying it was similar to his time at Sheffield United,” Reynolds said.
“That’s how he felt and he was happy to be here. That was his happiest time, I suppose, in his career.
“He came in and trained and the first day we saw him it was like he’d never kicked a ball,” Reynolds joked.
“And when I had spoken to him on the phone I asked him ‘Are you fit?’ and he said he was some way fit. That to me meant that he was not that fit, but he came in and you could see the quality, but he was rusty. I think he’ll take time, but it will be great for the League if we can get him to a level.
“He didn’t train today, we’ll see how the week goes on, but he’ll be involved in some way [on Sunday]. He’s looking for a chance, that’s how it came about. He’s looking for a chance to play.
“He fell out of love with it. He must have had personal issues and things like that. He’s just looking for a chance to come back and be happy and play. Obviously, the contracts that he was on before to the contract he’s on now, there’s a massive difference but it’s not about money for him.
“It’s just to see if he can get back enjoying it and playing and he seems to be happy. [It’s] peanuts compared to what he would have been on but I’m not sure it’s about money with him now. I’d say he still has money, or maybe he’s blown the money, I don’t know what he’s done with it but it’s just about playing.
“He has to earn it, too. It’s not, ‘here you go’, it has to be incentivised for him to play well. That’s a big part of things with Lys. But, as I said, I’m not sure money is a big factor there. I’d say if things weren’t to work out here, he’d just head off back, you know.”
Mousset’s arrival was the highest profile at Bohs but Reynolds was also busy strengthening his squad throughout.
As well as new arrivals like striker Colm Whelan, midfielders John Mountney, Niall Morahan and Connor Parsons, and defenders Alex Lacey and Kian Best, Bohs have been boosted by the return of captain Keith Buckley and centre back Rob Cornwall from ACL injuries.
Midfielder James McManus is also back in contention following a fractured ankle. Last season’s disappointing eighth-place finish means they must improve greatly if they are to challenge at the top end of the table.
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“I swore I wouldn’t talk about last year, as a group we said we’d park it, it’s a new group, forget about bad experiences,” Reynold said.
“If we are a dark horse we are a dark horse but we have a lot of work to do.”
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Bohs boss confirms John Egan was matchmaker for shock Lys Mousset deal
BOHEMIANS BOSS ALAN Reynolds has revealed that Republic of Ireland international John Egan helped play matchmaker with shock new signing Lys Mousset.
The pair were teammates at Sheffield United in the Premier League and struck up a bond that remained strong as their careers went in different directions.
Reynolds confirmed that Egan informed a mutual acquaintance of Mousset’s availability and vouched for the kind of positive character he would be getting in the dressing room.
After a successful trial, the former Premier League striker agreed a deal with Bohs and is set to line out for their Premier Division opener with Shamrock Rovers in front of over 25,000 fans at Aviva Stadium this Sunday.
“John Egan mentioned it to somebody… When Lys came over and trained, he was raving about, he loved the Irish lads, Enda [Stevens] and John Egan and so on, and he was saying it was similar to his time at Sheffield United,” Reynolds said.
“That’s how he felt and he was happy to be here. That was his happiest time, I suppose, in his career.
“He came in and trained and the first day we saw him it was like he’d never kicked a ball,” Reynolds joked.
“And when I had spoken to him on the phone I asked him ‘Are you fit?’ and he said he was some way fit. That to me meant that he was not that fit, but he came in and you could see the quality, but he was rusty. I think he’ll take time, but it will be great for the League if we can get him to a level.
“He didn’t train today, we’ll see how the week goes on, but he’ll be involved in some way [on Sunday]. He’s looking for a chance, that’s how it came about. He’s looking for a chance to play.
“He fell out of love with it. He must have had personal issues and things like that. He’s just looking for a chance to come back and be happy and play. Obviously, the contracts that he was on before to the contract he’s on now, there’s a massive difference but it’s not about money for him.
“It’s just to see if he can get back enjoying it and playing and he seems to be happy. [It’s] peanuts compared to what he would have been on but I’m not sure it’s about money with him now. I’d say he still has money, or maybe he’s blown the money, I don’t know what he’s done with it but it’s just about playing.
“He has to earn it, too. It’s not, ‘here you go’, it has to be incentivised for him to play well. That’s a big part of things with Lys. But, as I said, I’m not sure money is a big factor there. I’d say if things weren’t to work out here, he’d just head off back, you know.”
Mousset’s arrival was the highest profile at Bohs but Reynolds was also busy strengthening his squad throughout.
As well as new arrivals like striker Colm Whelan, midfielders John Mountney, Niall Morahan and Connor Parsons, and defenders Alex Lacey and Kian Best, Bohs have been boosted by the return of captain Keith Buckley and centre back Rob Cornwall from ACL injuries.
Midfielder James McManus is also back in contention following a fractured ankle. Last season’s disappointing eighth-place finish means they must improve greatly if they are to challenge at the top end of the table.
“I swore I wouldn’t talk about last year, as a group we said we’d park it, it’s a new group, forget about bad experiences,” Reynold said.
“If we are a dark horse we are a dark horse but we have a lot of work to do.”
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