Aaron Connolly has made the move to Italy, and joined Serie B side Venezia FC on loan in a bid to reignite his stalling professional career.
We reported yesterday that Aaron Connolly was on the verge of calling Venice his new home, and the move has been confirmed just a short while ago.
Connolly has had a tough couple of seasons at Brighton & Hove Albion, making little progress at the club since bursting onto the scene in 2019/20.
The difficulties he has faced at club level in recent times have also affected his international career, where he has fallen out of favour and down the pecking order in Stephen Kenny's rejuvenated Ireland side.
Irish players moving to Italian sides has also become increasingly more common in the past year with underage international Cathal Heffernan and Festy Ebosele moving to AC Milan and Udinese respectively.
Republic of Ireland international attacker Aaron Connolly arrives on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion.https://t.co/Td005eXW2x#ArancioNeroVerde 🟠⚫️🟢 pic.twitter.com/emwdiWqsHe
— Venezia FC (@VeneziaFC_EN) July 14, 2022
4 September 2021; Aaron Connolly of Republic of Ireland in action against Elvin Badalov of Azerbaijan during the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifying group A match between Republic of Ireland and Azerbaijan at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
Brighton's technical director David Weir had his say on the move;
“Aaron is in a position where he wants to play regularly, and this is a great opportunity for him to get games in Italy with Venezia.
“There is no doubting his ability, which he showed when he came into the team, and he has shown at the very top level.
“The challenge for him is to grasp this opportunity to continue his development, show consistency in his levels of performance and fulfil that obvious potential.”
Aaron Connolly has recently been on loan with Luton Town and Middlesborough, but will be looking to find a lot more success in his move to mainland Europe.
It is a promising move for Irish football and their fans as well, who expected so much from Aaron Connolly and his attacking flair, a rare commodity on these shores, since his underage days.
While he has not featured for his country since their draw against Azerbaijan last September, he will aim to use this move to get himself back in the plans of Stephen Kenny.
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