(Football news) Nathan Collins has signed for Wolverhampton Wanderers as they will pay Burnley a reported fee of £20.5m (€24m) for the Republic of Ireland defender, a transfer fee which will make Collins the most expensive Irish player ever. Wolves are in 'advanced stages' with Burnley close to agreeing on a deal and Collins will become the Premier League side's first signing of the summer and will join up with Bruno Lage's team for pre-season training ahead of the new campaign. Wolves finished 10th in the English top-flight last season.
The 21-year-old will now become the most expensive Irish player in history, eclipsing the £19m Liverpool paid Tottenham Hotspur for Robbie Keane in 2008. Collins started his career with Stoke City after joining the club from a Dublin side called Cherry Orchard in 2016. The Leixlip-native went on to make his debut for Stoke in 2019 and played 49 times for the club. Collins also became Stoke's youngest-ever captain as the defender then joined Burnley in 2021 for £12m (€14.2m) and played 22 times for the Clarets last season. Collins was one of the team's standout players last season, but he couldn't prevent them from suffering relegation from the Premier League.
At international level, Collins has gone on to play six times for Ireland and has established himself as a regular in the Irish national team since making his debut against Qatar last October. He scored a wonder goal for Stephen Kenny's team against Ukraine in June as the 21-year-old's performances at club and international level had caught the eye of several Premier League clubs, including the likes of Leicester City, Aston Villa and Leeds United. Wolves, however, appeared to have won the race to sign the talented defender. Bruno Lage’s side expect more signings as Matheus Nunes is their number target after missing out on Joao Palhinha.
Technical director Scott Sellars said: “We’ve looked at Nathan for a while and admired him, so we’re delighted to bring him to the football club. He’s a very talented young man – he’s only 21, has played international football and had a good season last year with Burnley. We think we’ve signed a player with a lot of potential, as well as being a very good footballer now.
“We’re getting someone who is physically very good, very tall, very athletic, and is very comfortable on the ball – he can step in and take the ball forward, which is what we need. He’s very good in both boxes and has real aerial strength.
“The feedback on his personality is about his leadership qualities, he’s a good character, so he ticks all the boxes. He comes across as expected, a humble young man who is appreciative of the opportunity, so we’re all going to be very happy.”
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