Talented Ireland under-18 international Freddie Turley has completed a move to Championship side Derby County from Shamrock Rovers after an impressive loan spell with Bray Wanderers in the first half of the League of Ireland First Division campaign.
The Bray native made 25 appearances in all competitions for Bray Wanderers with his versatility important for the club in their push for a place in the promotion play-off places. Turley set up the winner in a 1-0 victory over Finn Harps in May.
Senior manager Paul Warne secured promotion to the Championship last season but the results of the underage side have not matched the success of the first team. Derby County have struggled at a national level, finishing bottom of the 2023/24 Premier League 2 table.
They failed to win a game in the previous edition of the competition and also propped up the table in 2021/22 with four wins from 26 matches. There has been a lack of progression from the academy in recent times but there has been some success with Ireland international Jason Knight, now of Bristol City, a major success story after joining the academy in 2017.
Another Irish star, that was born in England, Eirin Cashin was a star player in the promotion-winning side last season, scoring three goals in 44 appearances. 22-year-old midfielder Liam Thompson has been a regular feature of the squad since 2021/22 and Malcolm Ebiowei went on to make his Premier League debut for Crystal Palace after leaving Derby County on a free transfer in 2022 although he spent less than a year developing his skills with the club after joining as an 18-years-old.
However, the academy graduates have not made a major impact on the first team and the club have responded this summer by recruiting several youngsters.
Shamrock Rovers and Derby County have confirmed that the versatile midfield player has completed the move. The Championship side have confirmed he will join the academy initially and become the fifth permanent arrival to the under-21 squad after deals for Morten Spencer, Alex Stepien-Iwumene, Jerome Richards and Emmanuel Ilesanmi.
Freddie Thurley can play on either side of midfield, in the back four or his natural position in the centre of midfield. He ranked first at Bray Wanderers with 3.1 successful dribbles per game, comfortably clear of any other player at the club. He ranked third at the club with 4.3 interceptions per game and was in the top five for accurate passes per game.
He should get significant experience having made just one start in the Leinster Senior Cup and a couple of appearances in the UEFA Youth League at Shamrock Rovers. Several other talented players are playing in the League of Ireland, in particular in the First Division, which receives less coverage than the Premier Division, which is struggling for airtime on its own in Ireland.
Cathal O’Sullivan at Cork City is one of several talents emerging from the second tier with Thurley’s former team-mate Peter Grogan a key player at Bray Wanderers. There may be more departures of promising players, with Drogheda goalkeeper Andrew Wogan the standout deal after completing a deal to move to Stockport County at the end of the season.
2024-07-26T13:30:26Z dg43tfdfdgfd