Shamrock Rovers are the latest League of Ireland club to have their young talents targeted by Europe’s elite.
Following the confirmation of Mason Melia’s £1.6m transfer to Tottenham Hotspur the League of Ireland has been receiving more attention.
Victor Ozhianvuna and Michael Noonan are the topic of interest for both Arsenal and AS Roma respectively, per Daniel McDonnell.
With both talents being 16-years-old speculation will be vast as they appear two of the brightest stars in Stephen Bradley’s squad.
Shamrock Rovers Victor Ozhianvuna Speculation
A more attacking player naturally, Ozhianvuna has been making cameo appearances in the left-wingback position for Rovers so far this campaign.
He featured in Shamrock Rovers home fixture against Norwegian giants Molde and made a promising cameo in the Dublin Derby curtain raiser where he got into good attacking areas.
Ultimately, Ozhianvuna’s future is further up the pitch, likely on the wing.
For Arsenal, to sign the teenager they will need to make a deal like their North London rivals have for Mason Melia.
Melia will join Spurs in the first transfer window following his 18th birthday. He remains with League of Ireland club St. Patrick’s Athletic due to Brexit regulations restricting the movement of players under-18.
This presents an interesting case study around player development. If Ozhianvuna were to join Arsenal when he was 18 his development may be slightly behind other players who can join the academy system earlier.
Players who have moved from the League of Ireland to European clubs at 16 like former Cork City player Jaden Umeh may begin to develop sooner than others waiting to join an English club.
It remains to be seen how this new landscape for Irish youngsters will pan out as time progresses.
Shamrock Rovers Michael Noonan Speculation
Reports suggest that Serie A giants AS Roma are scouting striker Michael Noonan. Having only joined from St. Patricks Athletic ahead of the 2025 season, he could be on the move again with no restrictions on continental moves.
Noonan made headlines when he popped up to score Shamrock Rovers’ winner away to Molde in the UEFA Conference League.
Since then, Noonan has made regular appearances for Rovers scoring one goal in the League of Ireland against fierce rivals Bohemians in front of the Roma representative.
The journey from Ireland to Italy for young talents is one that is well travelled.
Former UCD winger Liam Kerrigan is contracted to Como alongside ex-Shamrock Rovers midfielder Naj Razi who transferred for a fee in excess of £300,000.
Also, Dundalk centre-back Senan Mullen moved to Torino during 2024.
These current Italian league talents hope to recreate the path’s taken by Festy Ebosele and Troy Parrott who sharpened their skills following moves to the continent.
This option may be attractive to a talent like Noonan. AS Roma’s youth academy is a leading light in Italian football.
Their under-20 outfit currently sit comfortably top of the Primavera 1 table, seven points clear of their closest challengers Inter. Who are semi-finalists in the UEFA Youth League.
He would also get the opportunity to team up with his fellow countryman Kevin Zefi.
Zefi, who is an Ireland under-21 international, made the move from Shamrock Rovers to Inter during 2021 and now finds himself with ‘i Giallorossi’.
This familiarity, and training with some of Europe’s finest young talent may do wonders for his development as he is regarded as being one of Ireland’s high potential stars of the future.