Green shoots on Evan Ferguson boots after a new low for Irish in Premier League

As we prepare for another season of Premier League football, Irish football finds itself at a rather peculiar juncture.

On one hand, Evan Ferguson is the brightest talent the country has produced since fellow teen striking sensation Robbie Keane and is already on his way to taking up the talisman mantle left untouched since the national team’s record scorer’s retirement.

On the other, last season saw the nadir of Irish involvement in the English top flight with an all-time low in minutes logged, ‘bettering’ the previously lowest total the season before.

From 14 players clocking up 9,940 minutes in 2021/22 to 13 players and 9,320 minutes in 2022/23, it was another reminder of the challenges being faced in the ever-growing global game that is Premier League football.

But how’s it looking ahead of the new campaign? Surely it can’t go any lower?

Starting with Ferguson, the Brighton man is sure to significantly improve on his 952 minutes last season, all of which came after he ‘burst onto the scene’ after the World Cup. A record of six goals and two assists from 10 starts was better than any other teen in the league and saw him have his contract extended twice to stave off interest from bigger clubs.

That interest will only grow if he continues to show his prodigious talent in both England and Europe as the Seagulls take their first flight in the Europa League.

Under-21 international Andrew Moran will be hoping to follow his lead in the coming season, having made his one and only Premier League appearance for Brighton shortly after Ferguson’s debut.

Other one-time teen stars Aaron Connolly (also of Brighton) and Troy Parrott (Spurs)’s direction of flight appears to be downwards and back to the Championship again, either on loan or finally on a permanent basis.

Could Tom Cannon become Ferguson’s Irish partner or is he destined to go the way of Declan Rice and Jack Grealish? Will he even be in Everton’s squad next season? 25 minutes last season were followed by a successful loan spell at Preston North End, where he could return in the coming weeks.

Two of Ireland’s current forwards are set for Premier League football this season – former Southampton man Michael Obafemi is back in the top flight with Burnley while Chiedozie Ogbene is set for his first taste with fellow new boys Luton Town.

The promoted clubs all have a hint of green to their squads, which continues a trend from both the Clarets and Sheffield United, who have long been a safe haven for those crossing the Irish Sea.

As well as Obafemi, Josh Cullen and Dara O’Shea (just signed from West Brom) form part of Vincent Kompany’s new-age Burnley outfit, which is a boost for the ball-playing style being slowly incorporated at international level. Striker Dara Costelloe and defender Luke McNally are likely to head out on loan again.

Sheffield United are captained by John Egan but are shorn of Enda Stevens, a staple of the Blades on their previous run in the Premier League under Chris Wilder.

Defence is the best form of attack for Irish representation next season with Nathan Collins set for a more significant role with Brentford than he had at Wolves following Julen Lopetegui’s arrival and change of formation. Back-to-back summers of breaking the Irish transfer record shows his standing.

Collins has been replaced as the resident Irish defender at Molineux by the prodigal son, Matt Doherty, who makes a return after two-and-a-half seasons at Tottenham and a Spanish sojourn with Atletico Madrid, which comprised of 16 playing minutes across six months. He’s joined in the Midlands by Joe Hodge, who only played 36 minutes himself under Lopetegui.

Of course, there’s also Seamus Coleman, who looks set for a last dance with Everton if and when he returns from the knee injury that ended his campaign last time around. He remains the last Irish player to make a PFA Team of the Year (2013/14).

Shane Duffy is one Irish defender who won’t be in the top flight next season, joining Norwich after a disappointing spell at Fulham.

Three Irish keepers find themselves on the books of Premier League sides next season – Caoimhin Kelleher at Liverpool and Mark Travers and Darren Randolph at Bournemouth. None are first choice, behind Brazilian duo Allison and Neto respectively at club level and Gavin Bazunu at international.

Kelleher, in particular, could do with making a move in the near future with his only start last season in the final game dead rubber against his international teammate’s Southampton.

That was a game Bazunu didn’t feature in, having been dropped for the final six games of the Saints’ sorry campaign. A season in the Championship beckons for the former Manchester City academy player but given his age, it’s not a major concern. For now, anyway.

In the shadows of several squads lies further Irish-qualified players but one would be forgiven for forgetting Harry Arter and Jeff Hendrick are still at Nottingham Forest and Newcastle.

Newcastle are also home to young defender Alex Murphy but like Conor Coventry at West Ham and the foursome of Jake O’Brien, Sean Grehan, Taya Adaramola and Killian Phillips, Premier League minutes are unlikely to be found in the coming campaign.

So where does that leave things for the boys in green heading into the 2023/24 season?

A potential superstar in Ferguson.

Regular Premier League starters in Collins, Egan, O’Shea, Cullen and Ogbene.

Probable starters in Coleman, Doherty and Obafemi.

And the rest.

Minutes are a near-cert to topple those of the last two campaigns but the staggering 50,000-plus in 2011/12 and even the 22,000-plus in 2020/21 feel a long way away.

Nonetheless, the future is brighter than has been in several years from a playing perspective. As for the managerial position?

Ferguson’s rise, and hopefully that of other players, is sure to increase the ever-growing pressure on Stephen Kenny, whose future has come into question following defeat to Greece which has near-confirmed Ireland’s absence from Euro 2024 already.

Could Lee Carsley be the long-term benefactor of shoots of green in the Premier League? He will inherit a better striker than anything he had available for England’s victorious Under-21s this summer.

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