Clubs don't tend to break the bank on Irish players. For whatever reason, the transfer value of Irish players seems to always be quite low.
But with Nathan Collins having completed his big money move to Wolves, perhaps that trend is about to change. With this transfer, Collins is now the most expensive Irish player ever over a single move.
It must be noted that in accumulated fees Robbie Keane (£93.4 million) is still the most expensive Irish player ever.
But in terms of a one off transfer value, Collins takes his place in history.
With all that being true, now seems to be as good a time as any to have a look back at five of the most expensive transfers involving Irish players in history:
Nathan Collins £20.5 million: Burnley to Wolves in 2022
We start with the man of the moment, Nathan Collins. The Leixlip man has broken the record for the highest transfer fee ever received by a club for an Irish player.
And this may be a biased opinion, but he's worth every penny. The big centre half has gone from strength to strength over the past twelve months and was one of Burnley's shining lights in their fight against relegation last season.
At international level, the 21-year old has cemented his status as one of the first names on the team sheet. And with Wolves playing a similar system to Ireland, Irish fans should be optimistic about the impact that Collins will have at his new club.
Robbie Keane £19 million: Spurs to Liverpool in 2008
On paper, this one made very little sense.
Not because of Keane. At the time, the Dubliner was one of the most prolific strikers in Europe.
But he was coming into a team that had a front two of Fernando Torres up front with Steven Gerrard playing just behind the Spaniard. As a result, Keane spent the majority of his time at Anfield playing in an unfamiliar left wing role.
Keane's relationship with Rafa Benitez soured and just six months into his dream move to Liverpool, Ireland's greatest ever goalscorer was back at Spurs.
Damien Duff £17m million: Blackburn to Chelsea in 2003
Some of the transfers on this list didn't work out. This isn't one of them.
Duff signed for Chelsea off the back of an impressive stint with Blackburn Rovers. Playing under Graeme Souness, Duff won the league cup in 2002 and fired Rovers to an impressive 6th placed finish in the Premier League.
Duff became one of Roman Abramovich's first signings and when José Mourinho arrived a year later, he fell instantly in love with the Irish winger. Three trophy laden years followed with Duffer playing an integral part in two league title wins and a League Cup triumph.
He left the club in 2006 after Andriy Shevchenko's arrival despite Mourinho pleading with Duff to stay.
Matt Doherty £15 million: Wolves to Spurs in 2020
This has been a strange transfer. For much of his Spurs career Doherty has been a bit of a flop.
Mourinho bought him and then didn't seem to fancy him. Nuno Espirito Santo came in and never gave Doherty, who played brilliantly under him at Wolves, any chance to cement his spot in the team.
When Antonio Conte replaced Nuno, Doherty wasn't seen in the team for a while. Then, at the beginning of the year, the wing-back put in a string of quality performances and became one of Conte's most trusted defenders.
His season ended in April when he was forced off during Spurs' Premier League win over Aston Villa. Fingers crossed Conte gives Doherty a chance to continue the fine form he showed at the beginning of the year when the new season kicks off next month.
James McCarthy 13.5 million: Wigan to Everton in 2013
It's tough to remember now, but once upon a time James McCarthy was one of the hottest prospects in the Premier League.
After a number of years at Wigan, where he helped them avoid relegation on more than one occasion, McCarthy moved to Everton along with Roberto Martinez following 'The Latics' FA Cup win (And relegation) in 2013.
The Scottish born midfielder fit right in at the club and played in 34 games as Everton finished the season with a record 72 points in the Premier League.
However, the Irish star couldn't stay fit and has endured a number of injury plagued seasons at Crystal Palace and Celtic since leaving 'The Toffees' in 2019.
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