Gavin Cooney
HEIMIR HALLGRIMSSON SAYS he considered former Barcelona youth team player Louie Barry for his senior Ireland squad for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Hungary and Armenia.
Barry, now on loan at Sheffield United in the Championship from Aston Villa, ultimately did not make the cut in Hallgrimsson’s 23-man squad. Having represented England and Ireland at U15 and U16 level, Barry then played for England only at U16 to U18 level. He officially transferred allegiance to Ireland last year, though had instant selection hopes at U21 level undermined by injury.
Barry initially came through the ranks at West Brom, before joining Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, becoming the first English-born player to do so. Playing in a youth side that featured current Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde and present Man City midfielder Nico Gonzalez, Barry’s side won the Spanish league title in a season curtailed by the Covid pandemic.
He then signed for Aston Villa in a deal worth a basic €1 million, though potentially rising to €4 million dependent on add-ons. While Barry scored against Liverpool in the FA Cup in 2021 – after which Jurgen Klopp referred to him as a “little Jamie Vardy” – Barry has found first-team football limited at Villa Park, and has had several loan spells in Leagues One and Two. Barry, now 22, has been a regular starter in the Championship this season, impressing Hallgrimsson despite his team’s struggles.
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“We watched him last season in League One and he’s a little different, he’s really direct”, said Hallgrimsson at a press briefing following his squad announcement. “If I personally would say something about him, he’s a guy that if you really need a goal, he would at least go for it. So really direct, good individual skills, but let’s see how he copes with a step upwards. But I called him, he was really happy that we are watching him and he would be ready to go whenever we call upon him. So just another option we have, hopefully we get a chance to see him at some stage, but interesting, just a different kind of player.”
Hallgrimsson is meanwhile delighted to be able to call upon Chiedozie Ogbene once again, with the Ipswich attacker included in an Ireland squad for the first time in almost a year following a serious achilles injury.
“Like we have talked about with Louie Barry”, said Hallgrimsson, “Chieo has this directness, he’s lightning fast. He can do brilliant things on his own, but he is also really a good squad player; a hard-working, honest player. It’s early days for him, he’s coming back from a terrible injury and I can see he’s growing game by game and good for Ipswich, they’re not pushing him, they’re giving him some minutes and then they’re resting him, which is necessary for him, but once he gets flying he can be lethal for opponents.”
Hallgrimsson said picking a 23-man squad for the upcoming games was his hardest task as Irish manager to date, given his number of available options. Uefa restrict managers to naming 23-man squads for matches, and whereas previous Irish managers generally named larger squads, Hallgrimsson prefers to stick with 23 so as to not to have to leave out players on matchday. Versatility was key to swinging tight selection calls: hence Stoke’s Bosun Lawal has been named as a defender in the squad ahead of the likes of James Abankwah, Shane Duffy and Mark McGuinness, as he can also provide cover in central midfield.
derby-countys-ebou-adams-left-and-stoke-citys-bosun-lawal-battle-for-the-ball-during-the-sky-bet-championship-match-at-bet365-stadium-stoke-on-trent-picture-date-saturday-august-9-2025Bosun Lawal (right). Alamy Stock PhotoAlamy Stock Photo
Lawal came through as a midfielder but has been playing at centre-back for Stoke this season, with Hallgrimsson admitting he would prefer to see him playing more regularly in the middle of the pitch.
“I think it would help us if he played more midfield, because of the fact that we have a lot of centre-backs playing at a high level day-in, day-out”, said Hallgrimsson. “We have a lot of similar quality players, and leaving out a few is difficult to do, but he’s taller, he’s more physical, he’s composed on the ball, really good in the air, so he has something extra.”
Meanwhile, Hallgrimsson is aware of the transformative financial effect that World Cup qualification would have on Irish football. The FAI’s financial position remains grim, with the organisation carrying debt of €40 million and the board last night voting on whether to proceed with a proposed restructure of the organisation, which includes job losses.
“I am happy with the board allowing me to focus on the team and the campaign”, said the Irish boss. “But it was always going to mean a lot if we qualify for the World Cup. The financial plan is [budgeted] to [Euro] 2028. The financial plan is well structured to pay down the debt to 2028, if we qualify it will change everything. We can do more for the youth teams, for the League of Ireland, everything. It will free up money to invest in infrastructure. It would change a lot financially, it would change a lot mentally, as we would bring joy to everyone, not only at the FAI.”