Central defender Dara O’Shea says he’s “fully committed to Ipswich at the moment” and wants to get the Blues back into the Premier League, the Republic of Ireland international having been linked with Wolves, Leeds United and a return to Burnley this summer.
The 26-year-old was one of Town’s top performers during 2024/25, picking up a Player of the Year award at the End-of-Season Dinner and finishing third for the supporters’ gong.
The Dubliner, who captained the Blues when Sam Morsy wasn’t in the XI, joined the club from the Clarets last summer following their relegation for an initial £12 million plus potentially a further £3 million in add-ons.
O’Shea is currently away with the Ireland squad, along with teammate Jack Taylor, and was asked about the reported interest from the Premier League trio.
“No, look, for me right now I’m still in season you know and I’m not going to think about it until the season ends and I’ve got one more game to focus on and then I can sit down and relax, but I’m fully committed to Ipswich at the moment.
“I want to get the club back into the Premier League and I’m ambitious as a player, obviously I want to be playing in the Premier League but I know it’s not as easy as that.
“Whatever happens in football it happens for a reason. You have a journey and you’ve got to stick to that sometimes.”
He added: “I feel like I’m well capable of playing in the Premier League and I’ve got to get myself back there now.
“I spoke to the gaffer at Ipswich and that’s the task he’s set me – to carry on those standards of a Premier League player and still owe it to myself to be like that.
“It’s really hard when you come off the back of relegation but I’m happy with how I played. I’ve grown into a leader and I play better when I have that responsibility.”
Ireland face Luxembourg away from home in a friendly on Tuesday having drawn 1-1 with Senegal on Friday in Dublin.
“We understand the way the manager [Heimir Hallgrímsson] wants us to play and how he wants us to be as a nation,” he added. “That’s the identity of us as Irish people too.
“Against Senegal, our reaction in the middle of the park, we lost the ball, we got around it. There were some big tackles, some big blocks. That’s something that we’ve kind of come away from as a nation, which we should never – that’s our identity, we’re hard working people.
“With every successful team, the fundamental is hard work. You watch PSG in the Champions League final, they’ve got all the talent in the world but they worked hard as well and that’s what got them there. We’ve that embedded in us as Irish people, so we’ve got to show that on the pitch and not take the moments for granted.
“There’s obviously a mentality aspect of football and winning games and keeping that momentum going is massive. It’s something we haven’t really had as a nation for a while now. It’s something this group hasn’t had at all really.
“So it’s important that we keep building and don’t take the games for granted because before we know it we’ll be in the World Cup campaign and right in the thick of it.
“You only get one chance to qualify, so it’s important that we make the most of every moment we can. The manager believes in us as a group and he believes in himself. That’s massive when you can feel the manager believes in you as a group.”
