GAVIN BAZUNU turned 21 on Monday and though it’s premature to declare him Ireland’s greatest goalkeeper, the indicators are in his favour.
To be spoken of in the same company as the Donegal duo Packie Bonner and Shay Given is laudable in its own right but to be ahead of them at the same stage — in this most competitive of eras — amplifies his progress.
At 21, Given was back-up stopper at Blackburn Rovers, with two Premier League appearances behind him in the 1996/7. It was only when his former manager Kenny Dalglish brought him to Newcastle United that summer that he supplanted himself as a top-flight No 1.
Bonner, by that milestone birthday, was in the Celtic team and had just made his breakthrough into the Ireland side.
Bazunu has reached those landmarks earlier; amassing 23 Premier League appearances and 13 caps to date.
First-choice for Southampton and Ireland, the pertinent question consuming the discourse around the stopper is how far, and where, he will go.
Stories in recent days, more than mere speculation, decreed that the Dubliner has leapt onto Chelsea’s wanted list.
Hardly surprising given the convergence of two indisputable facts; that the best years of this special goalkeeping talent are ahead of him and the Moneyball policy adopted by Chelsea under the control of American tycoon Todd Boehly.
Shelling out €700m this season for recruits was designed both with an upturn in results and appreciation of assets in mind, again correlating to the profile of Bazunu.
They big spenders saw the raw material first-hand on Saturday when he kept first clean sheet since October in the side’s win at Stamford Bridge.
What may obstruct their swoop is the buy-back option Manchester City retained in last summer’s €18m sale to the Saints, were they to be of a mind to consider their former rookie the long-term heir to Ederson.
Bazunu’s immediate mission, at club level, is winning over his third manager of the season, whenever he’s appointed.
Ralph Hasenhuttl had full faith in the custodian he was prepared to vault into the bearpit of the Premier League stage without any experience of Championship, never mind Premier League level.
The gains from learning his trade in League One on loan at Rochdale United and Portsmouth were sufficient.
That was a view shared by the man who succeeded him and Nathan Jones was unmoved in his opinion until the board moved him on.
Interim boss Ruben Selles, as Hasenhuttl’s former sidekick, doesn’t need to be convinced of his credentials.
They’ve been scrutinised, rather than questioned, during a turbulent term at St Mary’s, giving the Irishman plenty of work behind a porous defence.
He had to absorb some flak for the winner Aston Villa scored in September but blips are inevitable, especially being the last line of a team battling relegation.
Speaking this week, the netminder from Firhouse was pragmatic in his reflections, confessing the rough and tumble of being under siege has been tough going. “I think it’s been difficult at times but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world,” he said. “I’ve learned so much and I’m going to continue to learn. I think I always knew it was going to be like this, I knew it wasn’t going to be plain-sailing.
“I’m coming in as a young goalkeeper, seeing these things for the first time and I think the most important thing is to not get caught or get too disappointed about things and keep a level of confidence that I’m where I need to be.
“I’m not superhuman, so your confidence will go up and down every now and again but I think the most important thing is to have people around you who will continue to allow you to stay as level as possible.
“This game is crazy, there’s going to be ups, there’s going to be downs. And to find that consistent level in between, I think the ones who can stay at those levels for the longest times are the ones who are the best.”
Longevity. It’s the hallmark of those legends before him and whatever about his club trajectory going one way regardless of whether Saints survive, one injury or suspension at international level exposes him to the threats lurking behind.
Caoimhín Kelleher and Mark Travers are capable replacements, each with Premier League games banked, but Stephen Kenny’s selection approach once all three were fit and available together towards the end of 2022 suggested Bazunu remains his
go-to ‘keeper.
Those duties, following a four-month break, will resume this week in March against France, albeit one of the understudies will likely deputise in the warm-up friendly against lowly Latvia four days later.
Chief within the CVs of Bonner and Given were their contributions at major tournaments, particularly World Cups, and over the next 12 months Bazunu can secure a ticket to a similar stage on German territory in 2024.
The FAI set a high bar when it comes to brazen statements but this one, to declare the incident closed, was out on its own for completely missing the points.
Let’s recap.
Supporters of Waterford raised concerns with the FAI about the safety of the stand immediately after the semi-final – also at the Limerick venue – after several found the stability of the flooring compromised. Pictures emerged on social media of holes in the structure, risking a fall onto metal material beneath.
The FAI, in response, gave assurances of maintenance upgrades underway between the fixture dates, a declaration ridiculed by what unfolded.
Structural damage was the explanation blared over the speakers for relocating the Blues faithful – as the ‘away’ team in a neutral ground – to the grassy, slippery verge opposite the main stand.
And yet structural damage was ruled out as a root cause in the report – details of which are in the public domain flimsy.
“The report found that the incident did not occur due to malicious activity, nor a structural stand issue, but accidental excessive force contributed to the damage of the seats,” was the summation.
Where did malice come from? And damage to the seats is a separate matter to floors capsizing.
Maybe Waterford will give this outcome the short shrift it merits by defending their fans’ behaviour. That’s if they comment, belatedly at this stage.
Aoife Mannion (England), Marissa Sheva (USA), and Deborah-Anne De La Harpe (Australia) have been enlisted in time for today’s friendly against China in Marbella and Vera Pauw confirmed another is on their way.
That’s likely to be Megan Finnigan, the Everton midfielder who won a bronze medal with England at the U20 World Cup just under five years ago.
Finnigan (yes, spelt with an I rather than an E) is a regular for an improving Toffees side with a Scandinavian influence under Danish boss Brian Sørensen and can slot into defence too. Sophie Whitehouse, the goalkeeper at Championship club Lewes, has declared as well but operates in a position Ireland are already well covered.
The FAI haven’t been shy about their recruitment policy, releasing pictures of the newcomers draped in an Ireland flag and showing their passport, even if Mannion held an Irish one before the English edition.
