Séamus Coleman Omitted as Hallgrímsson Starts New Ireland Cycle

Séamus Coleman will not lead Ireland into their Nations League campaign this month. At 37, out of contract and without a club since leaving Everton, the long-time captain is the most striking omission from Heimir Hallgrímsson’s latest squad – but not, the manager insists, a closed chapter.

“Neither Séamus nor Robbie Brady have a club so we leave them out for this camp,” Hallgrímsson explained. Coleman has not been training with a team, and the Icelandic coach framed the call as a matter of fairness as much as fitness. “Séamus will be with us in the future, hopefully as a player. He hasn’t been training with a team so we felt it was appropriate that he sits this camp out. It was more Séamus’ decision as it would not be fair on other players.”

For now, Ireland head into games against Kosovo, Israel and Austria without their standard-bearer, but with another squad reshaped by injury, form and a manager willing to fast-track fresh options.

New faces, big gaps

The most immediate problem to solve is at the heart of defence. Nathan Collins, Ireland’s injured captain and Brentford’s leader at club level, misses out with a calf problem and is expected to be sidelined for around five weeks. Into the breach steps Liam Kitching, the latest English-born, Irish-qualified player to be drafted in.

Kitching, now at Sheffield United, joins a defensive group that also includes James Abankwah, Joel Bagan, Jimmy Dunne, John Egan, Ryan Manning, Jake O’Brien, Dara O’Shea and Liam Scales. It is a back line that looks deep on numbers, lighter on international experience, and now stripped of both Collins and Coleman.

Up front, there is a different kind of intrigue. Owen Elding, the former Sligo Rovers attacker who moved to Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership last season, is in line for his first senior cap. He joins a forward unit featuring Adam Idah, Jack Moylan, Chiedozie Ogbene, Troy Parrott, Rocco Vata and Tom Cannon – a group that blends Championship graft, continental minutes and raw promise.

Vata’s return is a quiet boost. The Watford forward comes back into the fold after an injury lay-off, while Sammie Szmodics, despite his club exploits in recent seasons, is once again overlooked.

Lawal valued even while injured

The most telling line in Hallgrímsson’s selection might concern a player who cannot even take the pitch. Bosun Lawal, on loan at Stoke City and still officially listed as a midfielder, is included despite being injured.

“I hope so,” Hallgrímsson said when asked if Lawal can establish himself in midfield. “But he is injured. We rate him so highly that we feel it is necessary that we have him around the squad.”

That says plenty about how the manager views the 21-year-old. Lawal is named among the midfielders alongside Finn Azaz, Conor Coventry, Jason Knight, Jamie McGrath, Jayson Molumby and Harvey Vale. His presence around the group, even while unavailable, underlines the long-term thinking behind this camp as Ireland try to build a new core around the Nations League.

Behind them, Caoimhin Kelleher, Max O’Leary and Gavin Bazunu contest the goalkeeper slots, each arriving from a different corner of the English league ladder: Brentford, West Bromwich Albion and Bolton Wanderers respectively.

Turbulent opponents

Ireland’s own transition is one story. The chaos in Kosovo is another.

Franco Foda’s side open against Ireland in Pristina next Thursday with a cloud hanging over their camp. Several leading players have withdrawn in solidarity with Napoli defender Amir Rrahamni, who has walked away from international duty under the current federation leadership.

“After 10 years, seven as captain, I will not be part of the Kosovo squad as long as the FKK is led by its current individuals,” Rrahamni declared, a statement that has sent shockwaves through Kosovo’s preparations.

Former Ipswich Town goalkeeper Arijanet Murić and Juventus midfielder Edon Zhegrova are also believed to have declined call-ups, leaving Foda’s panel stripped of some of its star quality just as the Nations League begins.

Israel, Ireland’s other group rival, are dealing with a very different kind of spotlight. Head coach Ran Ben-Shimon’s squad, also named on Thursday morning, includes Arab-Israeli wing-back Anan Khalaili, who has started brightly at Crystal Palace after a €25 million move from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium. At Selhurst Park he works under Ireland assistant Paddy McCarthy, an extra strand of familiarity that could matter when the sides meet.

Ajax playmaker Oscar Gloukh is also named. He will line up for Israel’s games against Austria in Linz, Ireland and Kosovo in Debrecen, before the reverse fixture against Ireland at the TSC Arena in Bačka Topola, a small Serbian town that will serve as Israel’s ‘home’ for that tie. Gloukh featured against Shelbourne last month in the first leg of the Uefa Conference League qualifiers but remained an unused substitute in the second leg at Tolka Park.

Back in Ireland, access to information on Israel’s preparations has its own complication: the official Israel football association website is geoblocked.

Fixtures and the road ahead

Ireland’s Nations League schedule offers little breathing room and plenty of travel:

• Thursday, September 24th: Kosovo v Republic of Ireland, Pristina, 7.45pm
• Sunday, September 27th: Israel v Republic of Ireland, Debrecen, Hungary, 7.45pm
• Thursday, October 1st: Republic of Ireland v Austria, Aviva Stadium, 7.45pm
• Sunday, October 4th: Israel v Republic of Ireland, Bačka Topola, Serbia, 7.45pm

Four games, three countries, one Aviva Stadium date in the middle. A squad without its iconic captain, without its injured skipper, but with a cluster of new and returning faces asked to carry Ireland into a new phase.

Coleman has not said goodbye. Hallgrímsson has not closed that door. The question now is whether this Nations League run gives Ireland enough leaders on the pitch that, when he does walk back through it, he joins a team already moving forward at full speed.