Celtic will have to shell out money each time Liam Scales plays for Ireland.
The defender was signed from Shamrock Rovers just before the transfer window closed then quickly found himself called into Stephen Kenny’s international squad.
Scales didn’t get on the park for any of the three matches but the defender is expected to make his mark if he can find a way into the Celtic side.
Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu was the star of the recent internationals, three years after leaving Shamrock Rovers for Manchester City. The €500,000 fee will be matched again after five international appearances with League of Ireland clubs seriously investigating add-ons as well as the traditional 10% sell on clause when they transfer players on.
Discussing how Shamrock Rovers now structure their transfer business, the Irish Examiner reports:
Each of the stopper’s four appearances in Ireland’s World Cup qualification campaign earned Rovers a six-figure sum. The bonuses will be capped once he retains his place for next month’s trip to Azerbaijan. Rovers grossed an Irish transfer record of €600,000 from fellow Hooped outfit Celtic for Liam Scales last month too but the domestic product still lags behind similarly-sized nations when it comes to realising value for personnel assets.
For example, Everton snapped up Ireland captain Seamus Coleman from Sligo Rovers for €80,000, the same price Wolves paid Bohemians for Matt Doherty. Rovers lost the league’s Player of the Year Jack Byrne to Cypriot club APOEL in January.
A policy of granting longer-term contracts strengthens Rovers’ bargaining power in the market, as exemplified by the Scales fee, but their new chief executive believes the league’s reputation continues to be a factor.
“There are too many good, talented lads who have gone to the UK or elsewhere for frankly derisory transfer fees because that’s what people think League of Ireland players are worth,” said Denis Donohoe, the supremo who began his role in June.
“Until we get to the situation where clubs are going: ‘Oh there’s a really good player in the League of Ireland’ and the starting negotiating point for a top-quality League of Ireland player is €1m, €1.5m or €2m, the only way is slowly growing the basic transfer fee and put in as many add-ons as you possibly can.
Scales wasn’t in the Celtic squad that beat Ross County 3-0 on Saturday but is expected to be involved against Real Betis tomorrow night.