Down through the years, a number of Irish player have been involved in high profile transfer moves. However, not all of them have worked out.
Moving to a new club can always be an unpredictable process. Both the footballer and the team will have the best intentions of having a thriving relationship, but considering the cut-throat nature of professional football, things quite often do not materialise in that manner.
With that in mind, here are five of the most disastrous transfer moves involving Irish players.
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The 5 most disastrous failed Irish transfer moves
Robbie Keane to Liverpool
Lets start with an obvious one.
Robbie Keane's transfer to Liverpool in the summer of 2008 is the last time that an Irish player has moved to a truly elite club for a major transfer fee. It came at a time when there was a feeling that the striker was ready to step up and star for a team at the very top echelon of European football, having not done so since his time at Inter or the early days at Leeds United.
Unfortunately for him and the vast amount of Irish Liverpool fans out there, his time at Anfield would last only a few months.
The Dubliner was brought to the club to partner Fernando Torres up front, with many feeling that this duo could finally fire Liverpool to the Premier League title. However, it quickly became apparent that Rafael Benitez did not see things that way.
Keane was never a natural fit in the team. Benitez only played one striker at a time, with Steven Gerrard sitting just behind them. This meant that as long as Torres was available, Keane was unlikely to be given a chance to shine.
He would often be left on the bench even as Liverpool were chasing a goal, while he would even be left out of matchday squads altogether on a few occasions.
By the time the January transfer window came around, a return to Spurs seemed like the best option for all involved. Liverpool would take a £7million hit on their investment, while Robbie Keane would never get the chance to play at a club at the elite level of European football again.
Jack Byrne to APOEL Nicosia
By the end of 2020, there was an acceptance that Jack Byrne needed to leave Shamrock Rovers in order to take his career to the next level. The Dubliner had been far and away the best player in the League of Ireland for a couple of years at that point, although he had yet to make a breakthrough with Ireland.
It was thought that a move abroad was needed in order to further his international prospects. There was a sense of surprise when APOEL Nicosia were the club that he opted to join, with the player having drawn quite a bit of interest from English sides in the months prior.
The move turned out to be a disaster.
Byrne was signed for the Cypriot club by Mick McCarthy, only for the former Ireland boss to be sacked a few weeks later. The midfielder would suffer a few injury issues of his own, while he also fell out of favour with his new manager.
In the end, his contract would be cancelled just nine months after his arrival.
While Byrne would return to Shamrock Rovers soon after, he has never quite managed to hit the heights he did during his first spell at the club. He has not played for Ireland since before his move to Cyprus.
Matt Doherty to Atletico Madrid
There was a huge sense of shock when Matt Doherty joined Atletico Madrid in January of 2023. His time at Spurs had not quite worked out, and while there was a expectation he could leave the club that month, the move to the Spanish capital came out of the blue.
It seemed like an odd one, even at the time.
The right back was signed on a permanent deal, but he was only given a six month contract. As well as that, Atletico were relatively well stocked at his position.
The move turned out to be a disaster for Doherty. He would play a grand total of 16 minutes for the club in the league after joining, before leaving on a free transfer last summer.
It later transpired that manager Diego Simeone had no interest is signing the Irishman, who was brought in as a favour to his agent Jorge Mendes.
While he has since returned to Wolves, this feels like it was six months of his career wasted.
Damien Duff to Newcastle United
Damien Duff's move to Newcastle did not work out as planned, both for the player and the club.
The Irishman had a very successful spell at Chelsea, winning a pair of league titles during his three seasons at Stamford Bridge. However, the winger opted to leave after it became apparent he would no longer be first choice, despite Chelsea being keen for him to stay.
As a show of good faith, they would allow him to leave for just £5million so he could have his pick of clubs. Still just 27-years old, he opted to join Newcastle United, who had Champions League ambitions at the time.
What followed were three massively underwhelming seasons, with the last one finishing in relegation for the club. Duff would even score an unfortunate own goal in the game that ultimately saw them go down.
While he would spend three years on Tyneside, it is a massive shame that Damien Duff spent the last few years of his prime at such an underperforming club. Considering that the likes of Liverpool and Spurs were also in for him at the time, it is likely a decision that he would like to have back.
Harry Arter to Nottingham Forest
This transfer may be of a much lower profile than the others on this list, but it is difficult to overstate just how much of a disaster Harry Arter's spell at Nottingham Forest has been.
He joined the club in the summer of 2020, signing a three-year deal that would trigger another season if the club earned promotion to the Premier League. The midfielder would feature 13 times in that first campaign, although Forest were already keen to let him leave by January of 2021.
He joined Charlton Athletic on loan in the summer of 2021, although he decided to cut the deal short the following January after featuring just four times. He joined Notts County on loan a couple of months later, making nine appearances.
He has not kicked a football in competitive game since.
After Forest's promotion to the Premier League in the summer of 2022, a one-year extension was activated in Arter's contract. However, he has not been included in their squad in any of the last two seasons. He also reportedly refuses to leave the City Ground due to his rumoured £40,000 per week salary.
Now 34-years old, his career at the top level of football is all but over.
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