This was, needless to say, never part of the plan. The west coast of Ireland. The League of Ireland. Kerry FC. None of it.

Last month, Mason Melia, a teenage St Patrick’s Athletic striker, was signed by Tottenham for an up-front fee of 1.8 million euros (US$1.87 million), tripling the transfer fee record from the League ...

Damien Duff says he wishes Mason Melia well in his record-breaking move to Spurs but admits there are both pros and cons to the Brexit rules for Irish players under 18.