The FAI insists that they have received no approach from Leicester City regarding Martin O’Neill and maintain that a suggestion made in the British media that “they would not stand in his way” is “incorrect”.
A spokesman declined to comment on whether that meant they would seek significant compensation or simply attempt to insist that he sees out his contract.
Neither scenario, it was suggested, arises until Leicester actually makes a move for the 63-year-old, whose current deal with the association expires at the end of the current qualifying campaign.
A spokesman for City declined to comment on whether that is likely but it has been widely reported in England that the club is keen on the Irishman, who it sees as someone who could bring stability and reassure supporters after the controversial manner of Nigel Pearson departure at the end of last month.
In the event that the club does make an approach over the weekend, and O'Neill is receptive, then the most the association could realistically hope for is to be compensated for his departure. And with only a few months of his €1 million per annum contract remaining, the amount involved would not be substantial by Premier League standards.
O’Neill has previously indicated that he intended to see his term and the current campaign through but there has always been a sense too that he wanted to manage at a top level club again.
The former Celtic and Sunderland boss would seem unlikely to suggest juggling both jobs until October or November, depending on whether Ireland ended up in the play-offs or not. And neither Leicester nor the FAI would seem likely to agree to such an arrangement in the event that he did, with both bound to be concerned of the fortunes of teams involved in very high stakes games and how they would be viewed in the event that the arrangement went wrong.
That said, results have not been what would have hoped and with Ireland now needing an exceptionally strong finish to the campaign if they are to qualify for France next summer, the FAI might privately see a Leicester approach as having its advantages.
If so, Roy Keane would be the most obvious candidate to take charge for the last four games, but it is scarcely a certainty with the Corkman potentially following O'Neill out of the set up, or John Delaney perhaps feeling the need to hire somebody with a better track record in the hope of salvaging Ireland's qualification hopes and all the revenue that is tied up with them.
O’Neill could not be contacted for a comment either but he enjoyed a hugely successful spell at the club in the late 90s, winning promotion to the Premier League, establishing the side there and winning two League Cups before leaving for Celtic.
He was subsequently offered the job by the current Thai owners (their chief executive, Sue Whelan, is Irish) before Pearson but it is believed he was have been concerned about returning to what was then a Championship club with relatively new backers. The club’s return to the top flight and the backing Pearson received during his time in charge may well make the job seem more attractive now.
