John Fallon: Italian job tough for Irish teens to crack
Cathal Heffernan signed for AC Milan over the weekend
Colourful, football-mad politician Mick Wallace long advocated for Ireland embracing Italian culture but exporting our teen talent wasn’t what he envisaged.
His penchant for the Azzurri model began during the 1990 World Cup odyssey, manifesting in bringing his Wexford Youths squads on annual pilgrimages to Torino’s academies and tournaments.
Now, the Italians are taking the initiative, capitalising on radical market changes to jump front of the queue hawking the best of what talent Ireland is producing.
Brexit has been the primary gamechanger behind the glut of recent recruitment by Serie A clubs but it would be inaccurate to bundle the moves of Kevin Zefi, James Abankwah, and Cathal Heffernan as replicas. To simplify what is developing swiftly into a trend and map out its sustainability, let’s examine each deal separately.
Zefi’s transfer to Inter Milan would likely have occurred even without Brexit propelling the traditional career path into flux.
Inter were tracking the attacker tracing back to mid-2019 when he was scoring for the Dublin District Schoolboys’ League in the Kennedy Cup final. A stunning brace for Ireland against England at St George’s Park at the tailend of that year only strengthened their desire to pounce.
That was a full year before the full implications for teen talent were confirmed from Britain leaving the European Union. Soundbites emanated from the Premier League sector suggested that Ireland would be spared being cut off as a source for 16-year-old immigrants.
Given Zefi’s background — his parents are Albanian and close relatives reside in Italy — the transition would be easier than most. And once his agent, former Ireland defender Stephen Carr, established firm interest, a deal was hatched in late 2020. Zefi, who turns 16 later this month, moved last year full-time to Milan.
Udinese’s pursuit of Abankwah was different. Rather than the precocious, raw gem Inter saw in Zefi, the defender was nearer the finished product, chiselled by the experience of 13 first-team appearances, including the FAI Cup final in November. They are even prepared to allow that gestation period continue in its own habitat, agreeing to the defender staying with the Saints until the summer, midway through the League of Ireland system.
What also differs are the finances, shaped by the players’ respective statuses. Zefi left Ireland as an amateur in keeping with current rules whereby players cannot be employed as professionals until their 16th birthday. Abankwah, 13 months older than Zefi, had agreed his professional contract with St Pat’s last July, protecting them financially from a swoop. When that unfolded in recent months, they possessed leverage to barter and brokered a record deal worth €800,000.
In the case of Zefi, Shamrock Rovers and the schoolboy club he played with before them, St Kevin’s Boys, were only entitled to €10,000 per year they developed him under Fifa’s compensation system.
The latest for the Italian job, Heffernan, is a hybrid of the previous. Still only 16, while he was upgraded to pro terms by Cork City, a buyout clause was inserted.
There’s another contrast insofar as the deal AC Milan tabled only guarantees a loan until the summer, replete with an option to translate it into a permanent transfer. City won’t hit the scale of jackpot St Pat’s did which is understandable given Heffernan, with a sole first-team appearance, is not further along as the elder Abankwah in the career trajectory.
All of which goes to show where the Italian, or any continental club, is best beginning their trawl. While Udinese’s move was deemed a landmark for the magnitude of upfront fee, it has also served to educate their rivals on how to save money. The migration of underage talent into the national league system, starting at Under-14s this year, generates a one-stop shop to scout talent, with a greater emphasis on agents recommending the best of them. Already, the prediction is that, just as occurred when Liverpool monitored Caoimhín Kelleher or Manchester United trailed Robbie Brady, the assessment and due diligence will be completed by the time of the player’s 16th birthday.
In such a scenario, the fee payable to national league clubs is €40,000 in Fifa compensation.
Foreign outfits have no issue rewarding feeder clubs in success stories, as will be the case for City, yet as we’re all aware from the historical patterns, seldom is progress linear at top-tier clubs. The Italian experience is hardly going to cure the homesickness risk attached to the well-trodden path of moving to England or Scotland.
Then, there’s the health warning around Italian club stability. Between serving an apprenticeship at Manchester United and winning league titles with Shamrock Rovers and Cork City, Conor McCormack spent two years at Serie B outfit Triestina.
“The role of the club president in Italian football cannot be underestimated,” he said in 2011. “It was only brought to my attention this season that clubs receive a bonus from the Italian Football Association for every minute a young domestic player spends on the pitch. Whatever chance I had of making a breakthrough on merit, it’s secondary when the people in the higher echelons of the club are encouraging managers to pick certain players to suit their own agendas.”
Basking in the flattery from afar is fine so long as the universal pitfalls aren’t ignored. Wallace’s “beautiful game” slogan doesn’t always match reality, as he knows himself.
PFAI chief Cahill moves on after 13 years
After 13 years working as the Players’ FAI (PFAI) executive officer, Ollie Cahill has stepped down for family reasons.
The Clonmel native began the role on a part-time basis while still a player, then at Shamrock Rovers, before fully devoting his energies to assisting his peers and the next generation in pursuit of their legal rights. While Cahill enjoyed a decorated League of Ireland career at Cork City, Shelbourne, Drogheda United, and Rovers, he’d seen his fair share of financial issues and that experience was crucial when similar problems cropped up for others during his new role.
He was also a constant presence behind the scenes during the women’s international team’s dispute, long before matters came to a head in April 2017 with the threat of strike action.
“Ollie is a rock-solid fella; the same in his job with the PFAI as he was on the pitch,” said PFAI secretary Stephen McGuinness. Cahill’s record for European club appearances was only broken in recent years by Gary Rogers.
“We understand his reasons for wanting to concentrate on his young family and wish him the best.”
Interviews to source his successor, held by current players Brian Gartland, Sean Gannon and former chairman Terry Palmer, concluded last week and John McGuinness will start in the position shortly.
McGuinness is a former League of Ireland goalkeeper who has worked for the FAI’s League of Ireland and third-level departments.
Kenny’s talent pool widens
What have the following got in common?
Darragh Lenihan, a teak-tough centre-back set for the Premier League next season regardless of whether his Blackburn Rovers side gain promotion or not.
Free-scoring Scott Hogan, whose fourth goal for Birmingham City in five games elevated him to double-figures for the season. Gracing the same Pride Park pitch on Sunday was Ireland U21 international Festy Ebosele.
Then there’s Liam Scales, the left-sided defender now an integral part of Celtic’s first team and in line to start his first Old Firm encounter on Wednesday.
Throw in Zack Elbouzedi, the flying winger whose career has taken off since moving to Swedish giants AIK Stockholm last summer, and there’s a common theme.
None of these Irishmen were part of the previous squad assembled for the last internationals against Portugal and Luxembourg in November. That’s not a criticism of Stephen Kenny, for he was settling a squad but, as the international calendar for 2022 takes shape, they show the depth of resources available.
As Kenny said in a radio interview over the weekend, gone is the era of Irish players featuring across top Premier League teams, but the same is true of most nations challenging for a second place in qualifying groups. Fusing the props into a unit capable of consistently winning games is the task of the manager.
Contact: john.fallon@examiner.ie
