Latest news with #NathanCollins
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Caoimhín Kelleher finalising €21m move from Liverpool to Brentford
Caoimhín Kelleher will be a late arrival into the Republic of Ireland camp on Tuesday as the 26-year-old is undergoing a medical at Brentford . Ireland face Senegal at the Aviva Stadium on Friday before an end of season friendly in Luxembourg on June 10th. Mark Flekken, Brentford's starting goalkeeper last season, also underwent a medical on Monday at Bayer Leverkusen before the Dutch international's £8 million (€10m) sale to the German club. To replace Flekken, Brentford are expected to pay Liverpool an initial £12.5 million (€15m) for Kelleher with performance related add-ons increasing the transfer fee to £18 million (€21m). READ MORE Leeds United and West Ham United were also interested in signing Kelleher but the Cork man is expected to link up with Ireland captain Nathan Collins as Brentford manager Thomas Frank attempts to improve the club's 10th place finish in the Premier League next season. The other 22 players named by Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson trained at Abbotstown on Monday morning. Hallgrímsson has rested the majority of Irish players in the EFL Championship, like Burnley's Josh Cullen and Middlesbrough's Finn Azaz, as the June friendlies land in the middle of their off-season. The World Cup qualification campaign begins against Hungary in Dublin on September 6th.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Man United agrees deal to sign Brazil forward Matheus Cunha from Wolves
Wolverhampton Wanderers' Matheus Cunha and Brentford's Nathan Collins, right, in action during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brentford at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England, Sunday May 25, 2025. (Nick Potts/PA via AP) Wolverhampton Wanderers' Matheus Cunha, left, and Brighton and Hove Albion's Mats Wieffer in action during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton and Hove Albion at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England, Saturday May 10, 2025. (Nick Potts/PA via AP) Wolverhampton Wanderers' Matheus Cunha, left, and Brighton and Hove Albion's Mats Wieffer in action during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton and Hove Albion at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England, Saturday May 10, 2025. (Nick Potts/PA via AP) Wolverhampton Wanderers' Matheus Cunha and Brentford's Nathan Collins, right, in action during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brentford at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England, Sunday May 25, 2025. (Nick Potts/PA via AP) Wolverhampton Wanderers' Matheus Cunha, left, and Brighton and Hove Albion's Mats Wieffer in action during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton and Hove Albion at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England, Saturday May 10, 2025. (Nick Potts/PA via AP) MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United has reached a deal with Wolverhampton to sign Brazil forward Matheus Cunha. United reportedly paid a 62.5 million pound ($84 million) release clause. Wolves said Sunday the deal represented a club-record fee and thanked Cunha 'for his contributions in old gold.' Advertisement Cunha has been in Manchester over the weekend to put the finishing touches to his move to Old Trafford, which is subject to a visa and registration. He scored 15 goals for Wolves in the recently concluded Premier League season. Wolves finished 16th, immediately behind United. Cunha is set to join Brazil's squad for Friday's World Cup qualifier with Ecuador, Carlo Ancelotti's first game in charge. ___ AP soccer:
The Irish Sun
27-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Nathan Collins was Brentford everpresent in Premier League – but other Ireland stars' struggles proves he's an outlier
FINDING himself sharing a leaderboard with five goalkeepers is not the only reason Nathan Collins is an outlier. Because if the World Wildlife Fund was to cast its eyes over the figures, it would immediately classify Irish players lining out regularly at the top level as an endangered species. 6 Nathan Collins was the only outfield player to play every minute in the Premier League Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 6 His form is a welcome boost for Heimir Hallgrimsson but others struggled Credit: Sportsfile - Subscription 6 Chiedozie Ogbene is a long term absentee through injury Credit: � 2024 PA Media, All Rights Reserved After three successive years when he was second in the most minutes for Irish players in the English top flight behind, in turn, The trouble for Heimir Hallgrimsson is there are not nearly enough players anywhere near the centre-half's figures, making his job all the more difficult. And that should serve as a reminder that, however favourable the next year would be a triumph against the odds. Read More on Ireland MNT The finals may have doubled in size from 24 to 48 teams from Ireland's first appearance in 1990 but the number of places available to These days, after the suspended And while those figures are both up, to varying degrees, it is inarguable that the standard of Ireland's player resources has fallen, particularly when compared to that of others. Earlier this year, the FAI's Will Clarke provided a figure of what Ireland required to be able to be successful at international level. Most read in Football It was part of his presentation on the League of Ireland's academy system which is desperately trying to fill the void left by Clarke argued that, in order to be competitive, the manager of the senior men's team needed to be able to choose from 35 players clocking up an average of 1,400 minutes of league football in one of Europe's top five leagues. The figure was not plucked out of thin air. It came from an examination of the ten most successful countries outside that quintet of Heimir Hallgrimsson gives first call-up to four Ireland players in squad for friendlies vs Senegal and Luxembourg It is a target that Irish players could not see in the distance this season, let alone reach, as has been the case for a long time. And — based on divisional movement alone — the signs are that it is likely to get worse again before it gets better. In all, 19 Irish players clocked up 18,445 minutes of football in those five leagues, an average of 972 per player, equating to fewer than 11 full matches. Sixteen of those were in The minutes naturally increase when you include cup competitions but, obviously, many of those come against lower division opposition and, so, are not of much help in terms of equipping players for World Cup or campaigns . There is, however, a strong argument for European competitions to be factored in. But, of the players mentioned above, the only one for whom that was relevant was Caoimhín Kelleher at He lined out in four Madrid , And playing in a top five league is not the be-all and end-all if you are at a club which is capable of going far in Europe . EURO TRIP Aside from Shamrock Rovers' march to the last 16 of the Celtic's His AZ Alkmaar side bounced back from the disappointment of losing the Dutch Cup final — missing out on a return to the Europa League group phase — to negotiate the Eredivisie play-off system to book a place in the second qualifying round of the Conference League. With the Dutch league rated sixth in Europe, it would be hard to argue that Parrott is not better off where he is than, say, a struggling team in Ligue 1, ranked just above it. That is where 17-year-old Ike Orazi — who got one minute of league action — and Finn, 21, are, with Stade de Reims dropping to third from bottom thanks to late penalties in two matches on the final day of the season, one in theirs and one in Le Havre's with the port team leapfrogging them as a result. 6 Adam Idah scored three goals in the Champions League Credit: Alamy Live News They drew 1-1 with Metz in the first leg of their promotion-relegation play-off last week with the second leg to come on Thursday, with a chastening 3-0 defeat to PSG in the final of the Coupe de France in between. And Hallgrimsson could really do without someone he has just called into the squad for the first time dropping out of top-flight football because if there is one thing he has in abundance it is a player of that profile. There was a 13.26 per cent increase in game time for Irish players in the Premier League which sounds good except half of the 16 who featured were with teams that finished in the bottom three. O'Shea, Will Smallbone and Kasey McAteer will also be making an immediate return to the For O'Shea and Ogbene, it is their second successive relegation, and third in five years for the defender. FIGHTING THE DROP It does not make them bad players but it is a fact that the clubs that have sought to sign them are ones which are involved in a predictable fight to keep their heads above water . And it would require a large volume of transfer activity for the Irish contingent in next season's English top flight not to be drastically reduced. The only ones coming into the Premier League after winning promotion with their clubs are Burnley's Josh Cullen and It helps explain why Hallgrimsson must continue to look to the ancestry rule to strengthen his hand in the short term and why unprecedented investment in the academy system is a non-negotiable to avoid a bleak long term. 6 Liverpool's Caoimhin Kelleher celebrates at the final whistle during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Everton FC Credit: Getty Images - Getty 6 Troy Parrott of AZ Alkmaar in tears during the Final of the Dutch Toto KNVB Cup match between AZ and Go Ahead Eagles Credit: Getty Images - Getty
Irish Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Irish player tracker: Festy Ebosele impresses on Istanbul Başakşehir debut
With the season now wrapped up for the Irish contingent plying their trade in England, it was a weekend marked by joy for some and heartbreak for others – all while Irish players continued to shine across the Continent. It is a weekend that gives plenty of optimism for Heimir Hallgrímsson as he prepares for the upcoming international fixtures. Nathan Collins made history this weekend, becoming the only outfield player to play every minute of the 2024–25 Premier League season. The Brentford defender completed 90 minutes once again in their 1-1 draw with Wolves, sealing a 10th-place finish. Matt Doherty also featured for 87 minutes in that game, ending a strong season on a positive note. Jake O'Brien continued his fine form, playing another full match as Everton stunned Newcastle with a 1-0 win at St James' Park. It has been a brilliant end to the season for the Cork native, though Seamus Coleman missed out through injury. There was a welcome return for Sammy Szmodics, who came off the bench for the final 12 minutes of Ipswich's 3-1 defeat to West Ham. Jack Taylor also featured, while Dara O'Shea played the full 90. On the other side, Evan Ferguson missed out again, capping off a disappointing loan spell with the Hammers. READ MORE [ Irish player tracker: Silver lining beckons for Jason Knight Opens in new window ] Nathan Collins: played every game for Brentford. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA Kasey McAteer started for Leicester and played 86 minutes in their 2-0 loss to Bournemouth. For Southampton, Will Smallbone came on late against Arsenal, while Ryan Manning was an unused sub. Jack Henry-Francis stayed on the bench for the Gunners. Staying in England, Alan Browne can now call himself a Premier League player after Sunderland's dramatic 2-1 win over Tom Cannon's Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final. Browne was an unused substitute for the Black Cats, while Cannon came on late for the Blades. It remains to be seen whether Browne will still be at Sunderland next season, but promotion marks a big moment in his career. [ Irish player tracker: Adam Idah keeps scoring for Celtic but Evan Ferguson unused by West Ham again Opens in new window ] In the League One playoff final, there was heartbreak for Josh Keeley and Ollie O'Neill as Leyton Orient fell 1-0 to Charlton Athletic. Keeley might feel he could have done better with the goal that proved decisive, though O'Neill impressed with a strong performance. On the other side, Conor Coventry and Alex Gilbert played their part as Charlton secured a return to the Championship. The Irish influence continues in the League Two playoff final, which is set for Monday afternoon and will feature several more Irish players vying for promotion. There was a big upset in the Scottish Cup final as Jamie McGrath and Gavin Molloy's Aberdeen defeated Celtic on penalties after a late equaliser forced extra time. Johnny Kenny scored in the shoot-out for Celtic, while Adam Idah played 65 minutes and Liam Scales completed the full 120. McGrath and Molloy missed out for Aberdeen due to injury but were part of the squad that claimed a historic win. It was not just in the UK that Irishmen were featuring in cup finals this weekend. John Patrick's Stade Reims lost 3-0 to PSG in the Coupe de France final. Patrick came on for the last 16 minutes, showing promise despite the defeat. He now prepares for the relegation playoff second leg against Metz on Thursday. In Germany, Ryan Johansson started as SV Wehen Wiesbaden won the Hessenpokal Cup on penalties against Hessen Kassel. In the Netherlands, Troy Parrott made his return from injury off the bench in AZ Alkmaar's win over Heerenveen in the European qualifying playoff semi-final. On Sunday, he again came off the bench to help AZ beat Twente 3-2, securing Uefa Conference League qualification. Parrott's late shot in the 93rd minute led to the winning goal, making a key contribution to the victory. In more positive news, Festy Ebosele made his full debut for Istanbul Başakşehir in their narrow 3-2 loss to Adana Demirspor on Sunday. Playing at right-back, Festy put in an excellent performance, showcasing his defensive solidity and attacking support. His strong display is encouraging news for Heimir Hallgrímsson as the international break approaches. Player of the Week – Festy Ebosele (İstanbul Başakşehir ) Festy Ebosele made his full debut for Istanbul Başakşehir at the weekend and did not disappoint. Playing at right-back, he put in an exceptional performance, making one tackle, completing four key passes, and creating two big chances. Fouled three times, Ebosele showed just how dynamic he is as a ball carrier. He also registered one shot and an impressive seven completed dribbles, highlighting his ability to drive the ball forward. Goal of the Week – Peter Grogan (Austin II) There was only one Irish goalscorer abroad this weekend – Peter Grogan for Austin II. The former Bray Wanderers striker netted his second goal of the season in his sixth start for the MLS Next Pro side, continuing to develop in the States and proving he has a sharp eye for goal. Peter Grogan finishes off the cross and puts us ahead! — Austin FC II (@AustinFCII) Stat of the Week – Nathan Collins – 38/38 Games, 3420 Minutes (Brentford) Nathan Collins completed all 38 Premier League games this season, playing every single minute – a remarkable achievement unmatched by any outfield player. Logging 3,420 minutes for Brentford, Collins continues to shine, and there is no doubt top clubs will be taking serious notice of his impressive consistency and performances.
Irish Independent
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
The Nathan Collins interview: ‘We've got a lot of talent in our squad, young players with talent. The goal is going to the World Cup'
Nathan Collins holds the extraordinary record of not having missed a single minute of any of Brentford's 37 Premier League games this season. In fact, he is the only outfield player in the entire league to have played every second of this campaign.
