Brave Dundalk getting raw deal after Europa odyssey

THE real winners from Dundalk’s brave Europa League adventure are the clubs who sign Daryl Horgan and Andy Boyle.

The pair are ready to move to England and I think they will do well. Preston North End look favourite to sign the pair, both free, and I would be very happy with that.

Signing them both is a no-brainer. Horgan (left), in particular, has shown glimpses of exceptional talent against good defenders in tough European ties. He can beat players, create opportunities and knows how to take chances himself under pressure.

After 50 games, he could go on to earn senior caps, score Championship goals in a team that wants to challenge for the playoffs, and be worth up to between £2-3 million. And Dundalk wouldn’t get a cent.

Once again, you have to feel for League of Ireland clubs who are nurturing young or rejected talent, giving them regular games, sometimes in Europe, and knowing they will sell them for peanuts.

Or, if everyone knows you can’t offer a longterm contract, because you can’t match clubs in England, you end up losing your best players for nothing.

Yet, as I’ve mentioned in this column before, if these players were from Holland, Belgium, Poland, Belarus, Latvia, Israel, they would be commanding decent fees as well as any sellons.

The sort of money that keeps clubs going in these countries.

Irish clubs see hardly any of that sort of cash.

Ireland captain Seamus Coleman was sold by Sligo Rovers for about £60,000. How much is he worth now? Somehow we’ve ended up with an Ireland squad, full of ex-League of Ireland players, with a market value in its millions.

And it has earned their Irish clubs pocket money out of the Premier League’s billions. And there’s nothing they can do about it.