O’Neill will be happy for players to move on

THIS transfer window could be a very important one for a number of the Ireland players.

Every player is effectively available when the window reopens and there are several members of Martin O’Neill’s squad who could be on the move this summer.

And for Ireland’s World Cup campaign, that might not be the worst thing in the world.

It looks like we can expect to see Aiden McGeady (below) leave Everton and he deserves it after a terrific loan spell with Preston, who, unfortunately, won’t be able to match his wages. Still, a big club in the Championship should come in for him.

Stoke trio Jon Walters, Glenn Whelan and defender Marc Wilson could be on their way but Mark Hughes always seemed to come back to the first two, because they are so reliable.

We should keep an eye on Michael Keane’s future at Burnley. If, as seems likely, he returns to Manchester United in the next couple of months, that could open up an opportunity for Kevin Long to get established in Sean Dyche’s back four.

James McCarthy is another one who could be on the move. He has been linked with Newcastle, which might be a better option for him after a difficult year at Everton. Sometimes you have to move on to maximise your ability and play football.

Everton are going to strengthen and there is a lot of money available, as the purchase of keeper Jordan Pickford for £30million shows. And that’s before Romelu Lukaku is sold. So it will be interesting to see if McCarthy is part of Ronald Koeman’s plans after an up-and-down relationship with the Everton boss this year.

And can we expect Shane Long to be on his way again? His situation is interesting because it seems there will be a change of manager at Southampton and it might be better to stick around to impress the new boss.

The top six will be busy recruiting and and no doubt we are set for another crazy summer of transfers and some crazy prices.