Wolves announced on Tuesday afternoon that they had closed a deal for Burnley defender Nathan Collins, who joins from Burnley on a five-year deal. The 21-year-old has become the most expensive Irish player in history.
That’s according to the Irish Independent, who say his €24m (£20.21m) fee is in excess of the previous record, set by Robbie Keane. Ireland’s top scorer in international football with 68 goals, Keane moved from Tottenham to Liverpool for £20m back in 2008, although that move famously didn’t work out with Keane going back to Spurs less than six months later.
Collins moved to Burnley from Stoke City in 2021 for £12.6m and after just one season, has shown enough for Wolves to be convinced that he is good enough for Premier League football. The speed of his rise is just as evident in his international career. Collins only has six caps for Ireland, despite the national team being quick to blood youngsters under Stephen Quinn.
