Why Birmingham City, Crystal Palace and Wrexham want to sign the same player | OneFootball

Several Championship clubs are chasing Irish teenager Adam Brennan, who is starring in his native country with UCD

Irish teenager Adam Brennan is a hot prospect, with the attacking midfielder being courted by numerous clubs in the English Premier League and the EFL Championship ahead of a potential move across the Irish Sea.

Adam Brennan is an 18-year-old attacking midfielder currently plying his trade in the Irish second tier with University College Dublin, with his performances garnering interest from England.

According to Football Insider, the likes of Crystal Palace, Birmingham City, Hull City and Wrexham are interested in signing the teenager as early as January, with the Irish league having finished for the season in October.

Brennan scored nine goals and grabbed four assists in 28 appearances in what was his first full season of professional football, having made his debut the season prior.

Football Insider also confirmed that Hull had invited the Irishman for a trial with the Tigers back in early November, ahead of a potential move to Humberside.

Why Adam Brennan is wanted by the likes of Birmingham City, Crystal Palace, and Wrexham

The future of Irish football appears to be in safe hands, with an array of young talent coming out of the country in recent years heading across Europe to further their careers within the sport.

The likes of Kevin Zefi, Naj Razi, Cathal Heffernan, Mason Melia and Evan Ferguson have all played in the top flight of Irish football in recent years before heading abroad, and Brennan looks set to follow in their footsteps sooner rather than later, albeit he hasn't played in the Irish top flight.

Brennan became the first player in UCD's history to join the club at the bottom of the LOI (League of Ireland) underage system and make his first team debut, and he looks as though he could be the next young star heading across the Irish Sea.

Brennan has so far made three appearances for the Republic of Ireland Under-19s side, scoring once, as he looks to follow in the footsteps of other notable UCD alumni such as former Derby County striker Connor Sammon, Celtic defender Liam Scales, and former Sheffield United and Stoke City defender Enda Stevens.

An attacking-midfielder by trade, Brennan has the ability to score and assist from his favoured role just behind the striker, and is adept with both feet, although he favours his stronger right foot, which he used to score a wonderful curling effort against Treaty United earlier in the season.

At 18, Brennan has ample potential to develop into an excellent player, and you would imagine that he will be making the step to UK shores sooner rather than later, with the amount of interest he has gathered.

Who will be the side lucky enough to convince Brennan to give them his signature remains to be seen, but with a host of interest from clubs in the Premier League and Championship, he won't be short of options.

Each of Birmingham, Hull, and Wrexham likely provide better opportunities to break into the first-team than he would do at Palace, but with the Croydon-based outfit enduring one of the most successful eras of the club's history under Oliver Glasner, a move to London certainly can't be ruled out.

With interest in Brennan rife, it appears only to be a matter of time before he switches the Irish second tier with the English first or second tier.

Indeed, as early as last month, Hull were keen to bring the teenager to the club on trial amid various other clubs across the country sniffing around him.

In the event of any move, it would be unlikely that Brennan would go straight into the first team of any side in the top two tiers of England, and would likely enter the youth system of any side that he joins, or potentially be loaned out.

Whatever the case may be, Brennan looks destined for bigger things than the Irish second tier, with all due respect to the division, and UCD will be hoping that any sale sanctioned for their sought-after player contains a healthy sell-on clause for the future.

Ireland's men's senior team defied the odds to defeat both Portugal and Hungary in their most recent outings, courtesy of the heroics of former Preston North End and MK Dons loanee Troy Parrott, with the nations having to go through a qualification stage to reach the 2026 World Cup.

The Boys in Green will have to beat both Czechia and then either Denmark or North Macedonia to secure a place at the competition next year, and if Brennan can continue his meteoric rise, a place on the plane may well yet be on the cards.