With transfer fees seemingly increasing year on year, it was always going to be interesting to take a look the ten most valuable Ireland footballers in the game at the moment.
Nathan Collins is the most expensive Irish player of all-time, with his £23million move to Brentford last summer the most costly involving an Irish player. That deal surpassed the mark Collins set the previous year, when he joined Wolves for £21.5million.
While he might possess the biggest price tag among Ireland players, is Collins the most valuable in the game at the moment?
That is something we wanted to look at, using Transfermarkt as a resource to look at what Irish star would command the biggest fee in the transfer market.
It worth noting that the fees mentioned are not necessarily what the players would actually cost if a club attempted to purchase them. Instead, it is calculated based on factors such as their age, contract situation, recent form, league, and current club.
With all of that in mind, here are the 11 most valuable Ireland footballers currently operating at the top level.
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The most valuable Republic of Ireland Footballers
T10. Dara O'Shea (Burnley) - €7million
Dara O'Shea joined Burnley for £7million last summer, and while the club would struggle upon their return to the Premier League, the Dubliner impressed for large periods of the campaign.
He certainly proved that he is a capable of playing consistently in the English top flight and could be of interest to other clubs over the coming months. Were he to leave Turf Moor, it would likely take more than that €7million to get him out the door.
At international level, he has already established himself as a key player for Ireland. At 25-years old, his value is only likely to increase over the next couple of years.
T10. Sammie Szmodics (Blackburn Rovers) - €7million
This season was quite the coming out party for Sammie Szmodics. Having previously been a solid EFL player up to this point in his career, his form exploded as he established himself as one of the best players in the Championship.
Szmodics would score 33 goals in all competition despite playing in a struggling team. He has been heavily linked with a move elsewhere this summer, with the likes of Brentford, Luton Town, and Galatasaray said to be interested in the 28-year old.
If he does move on, it will likely be for much more than the figure mentioned above.
8. Chiedozie Ogbene (Luton Town) - €8million
Having arrived on a free transfer last summer, Chiedozie Ogbene certainly impressed during his debut season in the Premier League.
The winger would produce some magnificent performances over the course of the campaign, including against some of the best teams in the division. While he would struggle with injury towards the end of the season his team would ultimately be relegated, there is no doubt that his stock rose quite a bit as a result of his performances.
7. Jake O'Brien (Lyon) - €9million
Jake O'Brien would have been nowhere near this list 12 months ago, but there is no doubt that he has been one of the most impressive Irish players in the game this season.
The Cork native became an unlikely hero at Lyon in recent months. Having arrived as an unheralded signing from Crystal Palace last summer, he would go on to establish himself as a key player in the side.
Having come into the team at a time when Lyon were battling relegation, he would play a huge role as they eventually finished sixth and reached the French Cup final. He has been linked with a move to the likes of Juventus and Everton in recent months.
6. Josh Cullen (Burnley) - €10million
Having joined Burnley for £3million in the summer of 2022, Josh Cullen's value would increase significantly in the season that followed.
He made major strides in his game during his two seasons at Anderlecht, going on to star in the Championship last season in 2022/23.
While he would struggle a bit in the Premier League as Burnley were relegated, he has maintained most the value that he had coming into the campaign.
5. Andrew Omobamidele (Nottingham Forest) - €11million
Andrew Omobamidele joined Nottingham Forest for a rumoured fee of £11million last summer, finally leaving Norwich City having been linked with a move elsewhere for a number of years.
The move initially seemed like a disaster, with the defender failing to make a single league appearance up until the end of January. However, after being given the opportunity to play thanks to injury issues at the club, Omobamidele would impress as he made 11 total Premier League appearances before the end of the campaign.
While Nottingham Forest is a very unstable club, you would hope that he can continue to thrive their next season.
4. Gavin Bazunu (Southampton) - €15million
Gavin Bazunu experienced a largely mixed campaign at Southampton.
He would struggle for form early in the season, although he would recover from that to string together a number of excellent performances. Unfortunately, the goalkeeper would then suffer an achilles injury in April that is likely to keep him out for at least nine months.
With Southampton going on to secure promotion to the Premier League, he will hope to come back into the team when he does recover from that injury early next year.
3. Caoimhín Kelleher (Liverpool) - €20million
Caoimhín Kelleher's reputation has received quite the boost this season, with the Cork man massively impressing as he made 26 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions. That is more than he made in every other season of his career combined up to that point.
The 25-year old has been linked with a move away from Anfield for a few seasons now, although it seems likely that this summer will finally see him seal a transfer elsewhere. The player himself admitted in recent days that he sees himself as being a no. 1 next season.
Should Kelleher move on, Liverpool will no doubt be able to command a sizeable fee for his services.
2. Nathan Collins (Brentford) - €25million
Nathan Collins has already broken the Irish transfer record on two occasions, most recently with his £23million transfer to Brentford last summer.
Despite one or two shaky moments over the course of the campaign, he would largely impress during his debut season at the club. That has seen his transfer value increase, with the Kildare man now having played three seasons in the Premier League.
Collins is a very talented player, and at just 23-years old, he is only likely to improve over the coming years.
1. Evan Ferguson (Brighton) - €50million
This man was always going to get the top spot.
Evan Ferguson was valued at only €600k by Transfermarkt in the summer of 2022, with his debut campaign in the Premier League seeing that amount increase to €30million by the summer of 2023.
While he would have his struggles this season, another season of top flight football has seen that value increase even further.
Of course, it has been suggested that Brighton would seek a fee well in excess of that amount were they ton sell the player at some stage over the next couple of years.
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