Top five League of Ireland signings for 2018

Liam Mackey takes a look at the top five signings for 2018.

Ronan Murray (Dundalk)

Scoring 17 times for a struggling Galway side last season suggests Murray should revel in front of goal with a team of title-contenders.

Indeed, he signposted as much by hitting the ground running in the President’s Cup final last Sunday, scoring both of Dundalk’s goals before Cork City proceeded to turn the game on its head.

The 26-year-old from Mayo has previously played for Ipswich Town and was named in the last season’s PFAI team of the year.

Barry McNamee (Cork City)

Always eye-catching for Derry City, the midfielder is coming into the prime of his career at age 25, having hit double-figures in the league for the Candystripes last season.

In the absence of Sean Maguire, John Caulfield won’t complain if the goals are shared around in the Cork City side this season but in McNamee, he has also landed one of the domestic game’s outstanding playmakers, a footballer of vision and invention who should add hugely to the champions’ creativity.

Bastien Hery (Waterford)

The 25-year-old Frenchman, a product of the Paris Saint-Germain youth system who went on to play for a number of clubs in England, impressed Irish eyes when emerging as a class act with Limerick last season.

The midfielder will bring a rare combination of skill and know-how to Waterford, his signing — and that of striker Izzy Akinade from Bohemians — suggesting the Blues will do much more than make up the numbers on their return to the top flight.

Simon Madden (St Patrick’s Athletic)

A surprise departure from Shamrock Rovers, the 29-year-old has been one of the outstanding attacking right-backs in the league for a number of years.

While Madden’s forward momentum means he can effectively double as a winger, his defensive experience will be just as crucial to a St Pat’s side whose habit of leaking goals last season meant they flirted dangerously with

losing their top-flight status.

Greg Bolger (Shamrock Rovers)

Bolger contributed significantly to Cork City’s double success in 2017 and Shamrock Rovers will now look to benefit from the experienced midfielder’s quality, composure and ability to dictate the tempo of games.

With the Hoops anxious to put something in the trophy cabinet in Tallaght, they now also have a winner on board who knows exactly what it takes to win trophies.

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