Dara O’Shea became Ipswich Town’s 11th summer signing on Sunday when joining in a £12m deal from Burnley. Here’s what the Irish defender had to say about the move.
There are plenty of reasons to believe Dara O’Shea can hit the ground running with Ipswich Town.
The 25-year-old, who has signed a five-year deal at Portman Road, smiles when asked who he knows in the current set-up.
"Quite a few!” replies the 26-cap Republic of Ireland international. “I know (goalkeeper coach) Rene (Gilmartin) from him working with the Ireland 21s and more recently with the senior set-up.
“I know Conor Townsend from West Brom. Our family are quite close, so it will be nice to see him again. I played with Aro (Muric) quite a lot at Burnley, while there’s obviously Sammie Szmodics and Jack Taylor too from the Ireland set-up. So it’s nice to have a few familiar faces to help me settle in.”
He’s no stranger to the level either. O’Shea started 25 games in the Premier League for West Brom in 2020/21 and 32 times in the top-tier for Burnley last season.
At the latter, he was recruited by Vincent Kompany to help the Clarets with their bold build-from-the-back approach. It’s a style of play that has driven Ipswich to back-to-back promotions too and one manager Kieran McKenna wants to stick with this season.
“The style of football was a big part of why I came here because I really enjoy the build-up side of the game,” said O’Shea.
“First and foremost though I’m a defender and I love to defend. That’s in my roots from being Irish and playing Gaelic football. That’s a brutal sport.
“Right up until I signed for West Brom I was still playing Gaelic football, which probably wasn’t smart looking back! You have to be very committed and buy into that game. I feel like I’m quite an aggressive player and that does come from my upbringing in Ireland. That’s served me well in football.
“But I do love to play as well and really appreciate that side of the game. I love learning the tactical aspect of that.”
Asked if it was true he had a bit of pace, O’Shea replied: “I’m not slow! I don’t think people really see me as a fast player, but I have that too. You want to be in positions where you don’t always have to use it, but it’s there if I need it.
“Playing in this team I think I can show my strengths. I can definitely improve on my weaknesses here too. Speaking to the gaffer there’s a lot of emphasis put on learning. That’s massive for me. I’m just excited to step into that environment.”
O’Shea became the 11th summer signing this weekend. McKenna has now signed a player for every position since promotion to the Premier League was secured.
“It’s been something that’s been going on for quite a while, so it’s feel great to have finally got the deal sorted,” said O’Shea, who joined up with the squad ahead of Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Manchester City.
“I’ve never really been down in that part of the world, but I’ve heard how beautiful it is and I’m excited for me and my family to come to a new place to live.
“There were lots of attractions. The club is a massive club, I know that from speaking to people. Obviously the manager was a huge, huge part of why I’ve come here. I’ve really admired him over the last couple of seasons with what he’s done here.
“For this stage in my career I think it’s the perfect time for me to come to a club like this and to work with a manager like him.”
He continued: “The plans that this club has and the journey it’s been on is amazing. I’ve heard great things about the fanbase and how passionate they are. I can't wait to be a part of it.
"You couldn’t not follow what the club achieved last season because there was a lot of noise around it. It was unbelievable for them to do that in their first season in the Championship following promotion from League One.
“The club is back where it wants to be now, in the Premier League, and it wants to stay there and progress.
“For me personally, I want to play in the Premier League and test myself against the best players in the world.
“My main goal and ambition in life is to play at the highest level as long as possible. Unfortunately we (Burnley) got relegated last season, but this opportunity came up for me to step back into the Premier League and it’s something I couldn’t turn down.”
Along with Kalvin Phillips, Jack Clarke, Jens Cajuste and Conor Townsend, O’Shea could make his Ipswich debut in tomorrow night’s Carabao Cup second round tie at League Two club AFC Wimbledon.
“I can’t wait!” he said. “It’s only when you get your boots on and get on the pitch that it feels real. I’m really excited to start my career here at Ipswich.”
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