Is it possible he could get a full Eire cap before he starts for the Albion?
Is it possible he could get a full Eire cap before he starts for the Albion?
Is it possible he could get a full Eire cap before he starts for the Albion?
No. Let’s not get carried away. He’s scored a decent amount of goals in a reserve league. The hat-trick against MK has pushed his stock up a bit but he’s still a long way away from a full cap. He hasn’t even played for the U21s.
It’s entirely plausible. Michael Obafemi of Southampton is on the Republic bench tonight. He’s 18 and has played 8 minutes for Saints’ first team.
It’s entirely plausible. Michael Obafemi of Southampton is on the Republic bench tonight. He’s 18 and has played 8 minutes for Saints’ first team.
call me bonkers, but if ,as looks likely, Locadia's on his bike, could Connolly step up to the plate ? The old adage 'if you're good enough, you're old enough'.
Also, due to our defensive manager, what's the point of splashing out on a replacement ?
Needs regular first team experience in Champ/L1. Wont progress getting 15 mins here and there with Albion imo.
No. Let’s not get carried away. He’s scored a decent amount of goals in a reserve league. The hat-trick against MK has pushed his stock up a bit but he’s still a long way away from a full cap. He hasn’t even played for the U21s.
Yep, give him a half season from Jan with a team in the (ideally) Championship or L1 where he'll get loads of game time and see how he does. Don't think there'll be a shortage of willing teams
Of course it's possible. He's doing well in the Under 23s. With our reluctance to use youngsters in the premier league, this usually leads to lower league loans.
Look at the current ROI squad:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Ireland_national_football_team#Current_squad
Players from Hearts, Derby, Sheff Utd, Blackburn, Reading, Villa, Millwall, Preston, Portsmouth. Recent call ups came from Macclesfield, Peterborough, Luton, Ipswich. ROI don't have a lot of Premier League options, so they will look down the leagues. If Connolly is playing regular first team football on loan, and continuing to show his current under 23 form, he'd be in with a shout.
I suspect you're right, but I can't help thinking that there's something in the OP's question, as RoI are pretty pony up-front at the mo, and why not: give youth a chance/establish them for the future/experiment outside of the box in such a situation.
The big question is that we need to factor in other current striker situations: whether Murray can maintain his form, goalscoring and fitness; whether Locadia is in the right frame of mind to continue post-Jan, and even whether he's the right kind of player for the way we play; how good Andone is (pretty good from the little I know), how his goalscoring develops in the PL, whether he's the right player for our formation.
There's quite a lot in there, and I suspect that there really won't be much available in January so letting Connolly go out on loan then might not be an option. I do agree it seems like too much of a jump from u23s to PL level, but it has happened albeit rarely and is increasingly less the case.
Yes agree but he wasnt even selected for there under 19s just a month ago