In one of the least surprising developments of the League of Ireland season, Dundalk winger Daryl Horgan is being strongly linked with a move to England today. It frankly took them long enough to catch on.
Owen Cowzer of the Irish Sun reports in an exclusive story that Mick McCarthy sent Ipswich scouts across the Irish Sea to cast their eyes upon 'The Magic Man' in Dundalk's 2-1 victory over Cork City on Tuesday.
Cowzer also writes that the former Ireland manager is expected to personally check in with the Lillywhites talisman before the end of the League Of Ireland season.
Horgan's contract runs out at the end of the season and, because he's over 23, potential suitors can sign him totally free of charge, minus any compensation issues that might arise with younger talents.
Horgan told Off The Ball last night of his own previous trials in England:
I was over for a couple of trials, nothing ever really came of it. Never any contract talk, or money talk, or anything along those lines.
I went over a few years ago to Torquay and Burnley, and last year I was at Peterborough. To be honest, it's one of the biggest lessons I could have had. I've got to play all the time over here in the first team while playing in the Europa League and winning leagues...it's been special the last couple of years.
I thought they went well and you know the way it is in England: a couple of weeks after both trials the managers were sacked. It's so cut-throat. You could sign for a guy who'd be sacked a couple of days later and another fella might come in and not fancy you, so it might have been a blessing.
I thought it went well, but over there it's so global and the pressure on managers...so it just never materialised.
Hew concluded, however, that the special nights which have seen Dundalk scalp some comparably massive clubs simply won't be as forthcoming should he move across the water, leading some to suggest he intends to stay in Ireland:
Obviously, when you go to England, the financial aspect of it is massive, and it's more competitive in the sense that you look at the Championship, and anyone can beat anyone, and it's filled with internationals too. It's a big league, but you'll never get to play in these big European nights if you do go to England.
Perhaps Mick McCarthy will need to entice him with some sort of three-year-plan involving European football if the Galway man is to head in the direction of East Anglia.
Read the full story regarding McCarthy's interest in Horgan over at The Sun.
