In another world, Dara O’Shea isn’t sat in the press conference room at Playford Road on Thursday afternoon previewing Ipswich Town’s trip to West Ham.
In fact, there was a good chance that he would’ve been preparing for a game at the Gtech Community Stadium this weekend. That’s because Brentford and Wolves, who both showed strong interest in him over the summer, will face off on Saturday afternoon.
“It was quite close,” O’Shea revealed. “Football works quite quickly and things change. I was really close to going in a different direction but I didn’t. I made the right decision by coming to Ipswich.
“There were options there and stuff on the table. Football is a tricky world and things come down to fine details.
“It was obviously quite a long process. There’s lots of stuff that was floating around in the summer. It was a decision I had to make as to where I wanted to go. I felt like Ipswich was the right place for me.
“There’s a lot of good things happening at this club. I knew it was a big club but I probably didn’t realise how big a club it is until I came here and saw the amazing atmosphere at the stadium, how big the foundation is at the club, stuff like that.
“It’s a decision I’m really proud to have made. I feel like it’s the right one for me and my career. I’m obviously excited to be working with a great manager and good bunch of lads.”
O’Shea noted that goalkeeper coach Rene Gilmartin, who worked with the Republic of Ireland set-up, was the first man on the phone when Ipswich established their interest.
“He was telling me to jump in the taxi with Aro [Muric] when he came down here,” the centre-back chuckled. “Things weren’t done as much as he’d liked then.”
It’s clear that, although he arrived late in the transfer window, he now feels comfortable in his new surroundings. He gets on well with his team-mates and has been made aware of the debate – started last week by Jacob Greaves – that has spread through the squad: are there more doors or wheels in the world?
“It’s a tough question, I’ve seen it go about a lot. I’d say more wheels based on the fact that I’ve heard Lego produce the most wheels in the world. If they’re classed as wheels as well, I think there’s a lot of them.”
His manager, Kieran McKenna, disagrees, revealing his thought process in his press conference earlier in the afternoon. “If the average house has maybe two cars, eight wheels, the average house definitely has more than eight doors… so I’m going doors,” he argued.
Speaking to the media, it’s easy to notice O’Shea black eye. Just underneath, there’s a little cut that’s been patched up.
“This has become a regular occurrence for me, head and face injuries,” he admitted. “It’s nothing to put me out.”
This particular knock came at the hands of Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins. “He’s a great player,” the 25-year-old added. “Obviously I just wasn’t expecting a black eye on the day.”
Having a background in Gaelic football – an incredibly physical sport – will certainly help him in that regard. He played it to a high standard in his native Ireland, right up until the early days of his professional career at West Brom, when he was forced to pick a pathway.
“I really enjoyed playing Gaelic football when I was younger,” he recalled. “It was a massive part of my upbringing back in Ireland.
“A lot of how I play today is probably based on my upbringing. It’s a great sport and a community sport, so I do miss that aspect of it. It’s just the aggressiveness, that kind of side to it, which is most apparent in my game.”
He’ll be looking to bring that into his upcoming games for the Republic of Ireland, having been called up for their Nations League games against Finland and Greece.
“Obviously I’m very patriotic and I love my country, so to get the call-up each time, it doesn’t feel any different,” he explained. “It still feels special every time, as much as the first time you get it.
“I’m obviously really proud to get selected and I’m ready to play the games.”
A unique aspect to his international career is the fact that he’s playing with three of his Ipswich team-mates – Sammie Szmodics, Chiedozie Ogbene and, for the first time, Jack Taylor.
“It’s quite funny. Obviously I signed, then Chieo signed a couple of days after me. It’s started to look like it’s becoming the Republic of Ipswich,” he joked.
“Obviously Jack Taylor has got the call-up too, which is amazing. It’s nice to have the Irish contingent around me, it’s good.”
Before that, attentions turn to Town’s game away at West Ham. An opportunity to win their first Premier League game of the season, but a tough test against an opponent that has underperformed their lofty expectations to this point.
“It’s going to be a tough game, every game is in this league and especially going away from home to a side like West Ham. They’ve got some really dangerous players.
“It’s going to be a tough ask, but us as a group, we’re in a good place right now, coming off the back of some good performances and some decent results.
“We’re going to go into the game with confidence but also that respect, knowing how good West Ham are. We’ll put our best foot forward and try to win the game.
“Even when you’re watching the clips of them, you can see how powerful and dangerous they can be. In the Premier League, you don’t really get let off with your opponents. You’re playing against the best players in the world, and that’s why it’s so amazing.
“As a back line, even the whole team, we know what problems we’re going to face. It’s coming up against them and trying to nullify their threats and dangers while causing them problems.”
This won’t be O’Shea’s first rodeo with West Ham, although their summer spending means that they’ll likely field a much changed team at the London Stadium. Nonetheless, the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paquetá should be involved, having played an instrumental role in their success under David Moyes.
In his last game against the Hammers, O’Shea helped Burnley secure a 2-2 draw away from home, and he’s hopeful that the experience can help him when he faces them this time.
“You look back and see what went well and what didn’t go so well,” he said. “It helps you understand their main areas and threats that they try to exploit.
“I had a successful enough result there last season, but we were 2-0 up and they came back to draw 2-2. I’ll try to take some of that know-how and game management into the match this weekend.”
For some of his team-mates, this match may mean a little bit more than the others in the Premier League.
Szmodics, for example, isn’t shy when discussing his support for West Ham, having watched a lot of their games before becoming a Premier League player. Ben Johnson came through their academy and helped them win the Europa Conference League without ever managing regular minutes, while Kalvin Phillips will likely be reminded of his tumultuous loan spell in East London when he returns.
“It’s good that we have the likes of Ben Johnson, because he can share his knowledge on West Ham, having been there for so long,” he explained. “I think it’s more like that.
“The boys who’ve been there or followed them, supported them, know a bit more about the club and the team than the rest of us do.
“It’s about finding out information off them, stuff like that.”
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