Cunningham a rarity: An upwardly mobile Irish player

Very few of us paid attention when Greg Cunningham’s transfer from Preston to Cardiff City went through in June.

The World Cup was starting, Joe Schmidt’s Ireland was on a three-Test tour of Australia, Rory McIlroy was about to tackle the US Open and the Munster Hurling Championship was producing a mixture of drama and genius that hasn’t been seen since the late ‘60s when The Beatles juggled a slow implosion with some of their greatest work.

Cunningham’s move is worthy of our attention now as the Premier League’s transfer deadline passes us by, the 20 teams pull up their metaphorical drawbridges and a stocktake is compiled of what it is they have at their disposal — and what they might need when the market re-opens and agents can hawk their wares again.