Lyon casting an eye over Irish prospect and St Patrick’s Athletic player Billy Vance at week-long trial

14 November 2018; Billy Vance of Republic of Ireland during the U16 Victory Shield match between Republic of Ireland and Wales at Mounthawk Park in Tralee, Kerry. Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Aidan Fitzmaurice

January 26 2023 10:57 AM

Irish underage cap Billy Vance is hoping to prove his worth to top French side Olympique Lyon after they offered him a week-long trial.

The 19-year-old, capped at U16 level, joined St Patrick’s Athletic last summer after spells with Bray Wanderers, Bohemians and UCD and helped the Saints win the U19 league. He was on the fringes of the first team last term and has been involved in pre-season training with Tim Clancy’s side ahead of the 2023 season. The Saints gave permission for Vance to travel over this week and will assess his situation next week.

Using French scouts based in Ireland, Lyon have lined up a number of players to bring over on trial and Vance began a week-long trial period on Monday. Lyon’s academy squads are primarily made up of players from France and Africa, but youth team coach Gueïda Fofana is keen to expand the club’s horizons and recruit from further afield, while first-team manager Laurent Blanc is also aware of the market in Britain and Ireland.

In 2021, Lyon’s rivals Stade de Reims signed highly rated Irish prospect Glory Nzingo from St Pats while former Ireland youth cap Deji Sotona is on the books with Nice. St Pat’s also sold James Abankwah to a continental club when he moved to Udinese last year.