As one move by an Irish international ran into trouble last night another was finally completed when 25 year-old utility player Rory Delap became Stuart Gray's first recruit at Southampton.
The deal had always been expected to go through yesterday but for a while yesterday afternoon it appeared to be in doubt when Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe told a local radio station that, rather than undergo the planned medical, Delap had opted to take some time out in order to decide whether he wanted to relocate to the south coast.
By last night, however, the Irishman had clearly made up his mind for having finally dropped in on the club's doctor he signed a four year contract. At his new club he will be reunited with Mick Wadsworth, his former manager at Carlisle United who is now Gray's assistant at the Premiership club.
Derby, whose manager Jim Smith admitted yesterday that the decision to sell Delap had been one based entirely on ecomomics, will receive £4 million sterling for the player of which they will pass on around £700,000 to Carlisle, who only received half a million for the player when they originally sold him in February 1998.
"Rory Delap is a young exciting international player who can strengthen the team in a number of positions on the field," said Southampton director Andrew Cowen.
Delap said: "This is a great opportunity to join a growing club. I am looking forward to working with Stuart Gray and Mick Wadsworth who look to be a young, bright and energetic management team."
Smith said: "Rory was 25 last week and in some ways he's a young 25. But I believe the penny will drop before very long and he'll be a hell of a player."
David Connoly's return to English football, meanwhile, was in some difficulty last night as Dutch first club AZ Alkmaar claimed that he had recently signed a four-year deal with them and that his subsequent deal with Wimbledon was therefore invalid.
"We are not looking for any sort of claim out of this," said AZ director Jan Kasper, "we just want Connolly to keep his part of the deal".
The striker had been widely expected to join AZ after his wage demands - said to amount to £850,000 sterling a year - were publicly ridiculed by the president of Feyenood where the player was out of contract. Now the club has threatened to bring the matter to the international football authorities and press for Connolly's suspension pending a resolution of the dispute.
Irish goalkeeper Alan Kelly, meanwhile, was still discussing personal terms with Tottenham yesterday after Blackburn accepted a bid of £600,000 sterling for the 32 year-old.
Having had it made clear to him that he does not figure in Blackburn's plans, Kelly has been keen to get away from Ewood Park for some time and Spurs manager Glenn Hoddle clearly sees him as somewhat more cost effective cover for Neil Sullivan after allowing Ian Walker to leave for Leicester for £2.5 million sterling. A deal is expected over the next day or so.
Former Limerick manager Dave Connell was last night appointed by Galway united as their new manager. He takes over from Don O'Riordan who was sacked by the Terryland Park Club at the end of last season.
