Smallbone adds to Stoke's Irish legion

The midfielder arrives from Southampton for the season ahead of Saturday’s Championship opener at Millwall.

Republic of Ireland's Will Smallbone

Stoke City has developed into a magnet for budding Irish midfielders after Will Smallbone became the latest loan capture of Michael O’Neill.

The Ireland U21 playmaker – whose goals in the June internationals against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro propelled Jim Crawford’s side into the upcoming Euro play-off against Israel – arrives from Southampton for the season ahead of Saturday’s Championship opener at Millwall.

Ex-Northern Ireland boss O’Neill had already recruited Smallbone’s midfield partner at international level, Gavin Kilkenny, in a similar deal from Bournemouth while John O’Shea was last week enlisted to the coaching staff.

Smallbone is rated highly at Premier League Southampton and would have clocked more than his seven appearances but for an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained 18 months ago.

“Will showed he’s a nice footballer, takes the ball in dangerous areas and played some really good players,” O’Neill said of Smallbone after his non-competitive debut off the bench in Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Hearts. “Will is in contention for next Saturday. We must pick a team that is difficult to beat and can win.” 

The Potters aim to improve on last season’s 14th-place finish, with O’Neill confident the skillset brought by O’Shea onto the training ground can bolster their prospects.

“We were probably a coach light and sometimes players need to hear a different voice,” O’Neill said about the addition of O’Shea, an Ireland centurion and Champions League winner with Manchester United. “It’s early days in his coaching career but his playing experience will help our players. You can already see it by the way he interacts with players and staff.”

Meanwhile, Troy Parrott is poised to imminently finalise his latest loan move from Tottenham Hotspur.

MK Dons – whom he last season helped reach the League One play-offs – are interested in arranging a return but the Championship is calling for the Ireland striker.

Spurs may coincide the move with news of an extension on his contract which lapses next May.

Antonio Conte brought the 20-year-old on Tottenham’s tour to Korea this month but excused him for the weekend trip to Rangers to allow him to consider his loan options.

Preston North End have joined QPR and Middlesbrough by tabling their interest in borrowing the forward for the Championship campaign.