Latest news with #U21
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Chelsea identify second striker target after Delap as two stars head for exit
Chelsea are in the process of finalising the £30million signing of Liam Delap but the Blues are also chasing a left-winger and there could yet be further arrivals in attack Chelsea will explore the signing of a second striker - despite already pulling off a major early coup by agreeing terms with £30million Liam Delap. The UEFA Conference League winners are continuing to monitor the forward market for opportunities, although they're now prioritising the capture of a left-winger. The Blues are expected to hold talks with Eintracht Frankfurt centre-forward Hugo Ekitike's agent Karl Mwalako Buchmann over the course of the next week. Chelsea are also long-term admirers of Arsenal target Benjamin Sesko and have tracked Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres with Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku both expected to depart west London this summer. There is also optimism Delap could yet feature for Chelsea at the Club World Cup over the U21 European Championships with England. The 22-year-old is poised to undergo his medical on Monday after snubbing interest from the likes of Manchester United, Newcastle, Everton and Nottingham Forest and should there be no late hitches, he would technically be available for this summer's tournament in the United States because Chelsea are not obliged to release him for the U21 Euros as per FIFA rules. Nicolas Jackson remains a firm part of Enzo Maresca's plans, however, the Senegal international now has a fight on his hands to remain the club's first-choice No.9 next season. Various suitors from Europe have made exploratory checks on Jackson's availability in recent months via his reps but currently, he's expected to stay put after penning a new two-year contract last September. Maresca has previously stated that he also believes Jackson has the tools to play from the left flank if required but Chelsea are keen to continue building a competitive squad after securing Champions League qualification. Ekitike is viewed as an interesting prospect with huge potential by both Chelsea and Liverpool but Eintracht Frankfurt are currently commanding a bumper package worth up to £84m (€100m) and it's currently unlikely any club will reach that figure. Brighton's Joao Pedro is not thought to be a name of serious interest at this stage despite being linked with a move to Stamford Bridge while Ipswich are showing loan interest in Marc Guiu, who is rated very highly internally at Chelsea. Meanwhile, the Blues are currently negotiating with Jadon Sancho as they would be open to triggering his £25m buy-out clause following his loan spell from Manchester United. Chelsea would have to pay a £5m penalty clause to send him back to Old Trafford, however, Sancho would likely be required to take a pay-cut if he is to seal a permanent switch to Stamford Bridge. The Chelsea hierarchy plan to recruit a left-winger regardless of Sancho's situation as Mykhailo Mudryk remains suspended. Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Bynoe-Gittens is among the key names of interest but Chelsea are also long-term admirers of Athletic Club's Nico Williams and have other targets on their radar having previously looked at Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho in January.
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Sligo midfielder Doyle-Hayes sues Hibs over injury caused by manager's tackle
Ex-Ireland U21 midfielder Jake Doyle-Hayes is suing his former club Hibernian over an injury he suffered in a tackle by his then-manager. Doyle-Hayes (26) lodged a compensation action against the Scottish Premiership club at the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Wednesday. His legal team claims the midfielder's career had been "greatly restricted" by the ankle issue sustained in a tackle by Lee Johnson in 2022. The Cavan native is currently at Sligo Rovers, whom he joined in February, but his representatives insist in their case: "Jake's career has been derailed by mismanagement and ineptitude. A career has been lost to this athlete." Doyle-Hayes joined Aston Villa as a trainee, moving on to play for St Mirren in Scotland. He spent four years at Hibernian, making only 69 appearances, due to his playing time 'being hampered by injury over the last two seasons". This stemmed from what Thompsons Solicitors described as "horrific injuries" suffered in the incident during the training session, leading to surgery on his ankle. They argue that, without the injury, his career would have continued at a higher level. A figure of compensation being sought wasn't disclosed, only that the potential loss of earnings was substantial. Joel Shaw, partner at the firm, said: "The impact of this has greatly restricted his career. "These injuries should never have happened and were incurred due to incompetent and incoherent decisions made by his manager. "Jake's career has been derailed by mismanagement and ineptitude. A career has been lost to this athlete." Johnson was sacked by Hibs in August 2023. A Hibs spokesperson told the BBC they were aware of the claim.
The 42
3 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
'Well, he didn't say f*** off' - Ireland boss on talks with Chelsea-bound Liam Delap
HEIMIR HALLGRÍMSSON HAD spoken about a handful of his Republic of Ireland players for the upcoming friendlies with Senegal and Luxembourg when conversation naturally turned to someone who has yet to have any involvement with the Boys in Green. Step right up Liam Delap. On a day when the Ipswich Town striker agreed a £30 million (€36m) move to Chelsea, informing the likes of Manchester United, Juventus and Newcastle United that their sales pitch was not sufficient, Hallgrímsson confirmed that they, too, had sat with the England Under-21 international to assess the lay of the land. The 22-year-old is still eligible for the upcoming U21 European Championships and will be part of Lee Carsley's squad for the tournament in the coming weeks. 'That is his focus at the moment. What will happen after that we will have to wait and see,' Hallgrímsson said. A senior pathway to the Ireland team, following in the footsteps of his father Rory, was made clear to him. 'Liam has good qualities, everybody knows that. We have sat with him, yeah. Just told him we would love to have him in our camp. But, like I said, the focus in the [England] under-21s.' Given he is a player who has progressed from Under-16 up with England and his club career is on the rise after a breakthrough season in the Premier League, the obvious question for the Ireland boss was whether Delap showed any interest in switching. Advertisement 'Well, he didn't say f*** off,' Hallgrímsson said, a deadpan delivery followed by a laugh. 'We want the best players available, always playing for us. Others might have other opinions. 'It is up to him. These questions you need to ask the player himself, not me. We always want the best players.' Attracting a player like Delap would be a coup, significantly bolstering options ahead of a World Cup qualifying campaign which the Ireland boss remains confident can end with reaching north America next summer. 'I think we have the material to qualify, sure. I think I have, again, from experience, have qualified with less talent than we have here,' the former Iceland boss said. 'So that's my take on this question. I know what you're getting at. Obviously, we would like more players to play at a higher level. And I think more players will play at a higher level. They're still not peaking in age and all of that. So I'm pretty confident that we will have more players playing more minutes in the top leagues.' After Seamus Coleman was forced to pull out through injury, Robbie Brady is the only player in the squad for the upcoming friendlies who was part of Euro 2016. If Ireland fail to reach the World Cup it means the country will have to wait until Euro 2028 – as one of the co-hosts – to play at a major international tournament. That 12-year-wait will be the longest since first making it to the European Championships in 1988. 'I can only say from my experience, once you have smelled it, you know how big it is and you would want to go again and again and again. They know that and we need them to spread that around the young players, just how massive it is and how fun it is,' Hallgrímsson said of reaching a tournament. 'These are the moments you remember when you stop playing. To share that experience is so important. I have spoken about Robbie [Brady], how good he has been since I came in, in the absence of Séamus, him and Doc (Matt Doherty) have needed to step up in the leadership role. Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrímsson speaking yesterday. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO 'It's not only to qualify, it's the two months of being together that will continue to grow the team. That's not spoken of, but it's one of the reasons why it's always the same teams qualifying. They spend that valuable time together that other teams don't get. 'That is the valuable time for national teams, to be in camps in finals, it's something we really need at this moment.' Coleman's availability is also a necessity for Hallgrímsson, who believes some players might have called it quits at international level after dealing with some of the injury issues he's had. 'I think that is just an example of what kind of person he is, even though through this many players would probably have stopped. But he pushes himself always to the limit and he expects the same from others. And that's why he is so important for this young squad to grow. 'And just believe in his qualities. He's still in the Premiership and wants to be in the Premiership. Some players would have lowered maybe the standard around. So, but it just shows his mentality that he knows his quality and he knows he is helping a lot. I know Moyesey (Everton manager David Moyes) well and he respects him so much. So, no, it's big up for him, like we say in Jamaica,' Hallgrímsson said, smiling with the reference to his last job before coming to Ireland. 'We're selecting him (Coleman) even though he has little playing time. We've been in contact, so he knows our thoughts and we would like to have him. To have experience like him and to have leadership skills like him would be really important once you qualify for the World Cup, for example. So hopefully two more years.'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Barcelona star ruled out of U21 European Championships
A member of the defensive ranks at La Liga giants Barcelona will play no part for Spain at the upcoming U21 European Championships. That's according to , who point towards Pau Cubarsí as the player in question. Defender Cubarsí, for his part, had been hotly tipped for a call-up to La Rojita's squad for this summer's Euros. The defensive options at the disposal of manager Santi Denia have been heavily reduced by the maiden FIFA Club World Cup, with Barcelona's lack of participation at the tournament having therefore given rise to claims that Cubarsí could be drafted in. As per MD, however, 'common sense has prevailed': 'The decision has been made to suspend Pau Cubarsí's participation in the Under-21 European Championship , which starts in June, once the Nations League has concluded.' Physical and mental exhaustion are cited as the main reasons for the call being made, with Cubarsí in desperate need of some time away from the game to recharge his batteries. Conor Laird – GSFN
Irish Examiner
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
'Cathal excites me' - Ireland U21 boss looking forward to linking up with O'Sullivan
Ireland U21 boss Jim Crawford admits his excitement at working with Cathal O'Sullivan, as the prodigy aims to transfer his Cork City form onto the international stage. The nippy winger has earned his first call-up for the June friendlies against Croatia and Qatar, the final warm-ups before Ireland embark on a Euro qualifying campaign group that includes Lee Carsley's holders England. Having turned 18 in March, the Leesider is free to join a UK club during the July window. That is dependent on an English Premier League club meeting the asking price of Cork City but newly-crowned FA Cup holders Crystal Palace lead the queue and are prepared to table an upfront fee of around €400,000. 'Cathal excites me,' admits the U21 supremo. 'I don't want to compare him with former international players but he reminds me of certain players. His x-factor is being on the ball and creating things. 'With his ability, he'll get bums off seats. He missed out on the Ireland U19s due to injury but were always aware of his ability. He was excellent in the First Division, scoring and creating goals as well as working hard for his team. 'His next step was playing in our top league and once again he's been excellent. 'From that position on the right inside channel, he knows when to move centrally and is a threat on goal. He has that work ethic and it's not every player's cup of tea to track back. 'They're facets of a player that the senior Ireland manager will look for and it's only a matter of time before he moves to the UK.' Crawford doesn't have a preference as to whether O'Sullivan completes the season at City, where he's a guaranteed starter. Irish exports have suffered from prolonged spells in the U21 teams of English teams but the Ireland boss feels there can be a beneficial shelf life. Securing a loan move seems a logical step in his progression plan. 'Playing first-team football is exceptionally important but if Cathal leaves in July, he'll have to learn the club's philosophy,' noted Crawford. 'They might do things differently and he'll be involved in a decent games programme. 'I know from watching U21 development matches when a player has outgrown it. He's ripe for a loan move which becomes the next conundrum. 'He's gone from Cork's first team to learning in the U21 development side but it's about getting a loan to a move that mirrors his parent club but help him develop his own games. 'There's a lot to that and why these clubs have Loans Managers. 'It will be character building for him going from a full house at Turner's Cross to U21 football. There are areas of the game, technical and tactical, that he'll learn at that level.' One of Crawford's fellow graduates from his Uefa Pro Licence course, Ger Nash, will oversee the final games of this City stint for O'Sullivan. Points in the final two games before the international break, away to Galway United on Friday and at home to champions Shelbourne on Friday week, are imperative for City to ease fears over being relegated straight back the second tier. 'I dealt with Ger when he worked at Aston Villa and he's an astute football man who will help Cork City,' Crawford said. 'He's already been onto me about a few potential new players in the window as he's working around the clock but Ger will be good for the youngsters from his time at Villa.' Meanwhile, Crawford insists Kevin Zefi is committed to Ireland despite an U21 call-up from Albania. 'Kevin has talent and skill that needs nurturing and harnessing,' the manager said about the Roma winger he didn't include in this squad. 'I don't know how realistic it is to break into the Roma first-team but he knows what he has to do. He's 20 now and needs to start the performance phase of his career.' Ireland U21s squad v Croatia on June 6, Qatar June 10: Goalkeepers: Killian Barrett (Sheffield Wednesday), Noah Jauny (Stade Brestois), Aaron Maguire (Tottenham Hotspur), Andrew Wogan (Stockport County). Defenders: Sam Curtis (Sheffield United), Sean Grehan (Bohemians, on loan from Crystal Palace), Alex Murphy (Newcastle United), Cory O'Sullivan (Shamrock Rovers), David Okagbue (Walsall), Gabriel Otegbayo (Sheffield Wednesday), Jacob Slater (Brighton & Hove Albion). Midfielders: Jacob Devaney (Manchester United), Darius Lipsiuc (Walsall, on loan from Stoke City), Jack Moorhouse (Manchester United), Jamie Mullins (Brighton & Hove Albion), Adam Murphy (Bristol City), Joe O'Brien-Whitmarsh (Southampton), Cathal O'Sullivan (Cork City), Harry Vaughan (Hull City). Forwards: Warren Davis (Drogheda United), Joe Gardner (Nottingham Forest), Jad Hakiki (Sligo Rovers), Mason Melia (St. Patrick's Athletic), Mark O'Mahony (Brighton & Hove Albion).
