Blackburn’s Irish contingent was briefly reduced on Friday.
Shane Duffy left the former Premier League champions after two years at the club, joining Brighton and Hove Albion for a fee in the region of £4m on a four-year deal.
Shane Duffy has completed a transfer away from Blackburn Rovers https://t.co/4q4mcqC1sz
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) August 26, 2016
Duffy’s departure left three Irish players at Blackburn – Anthony Stokes, Darragh Lenihan and Jack Byrne – but manager Owen Coyle moved fast to add another two sons of Éireann to his squad.
Tommie Hoban and Derrick Williams, two Republic of Ireland U21 internationals, have joined the Championship team.
22-year-old central defender Hoban has joined on a season-long loan from Watford, while Williams, a left-back, has signed on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee from Bristol City, signing a three-year contract.
https://twitter.com/DSWilliams_/status/769169286145384448
William, who was born in Germany and qualifies for Ireland through his Irish mother, made 131 appearances for the Robins over the past three years. The 23-year-old was part of the team that won the League One title in 2015, and came through Aston Villa’s academy.
New signings Tommie Hoban will wear number 4, Derrick Williams will be number 5 pic.twitter.com/G6iFQaGw94
— Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) August 26, 2016
Hoban was born in London, and has seen his progress at Watford stall over the past two seasons due to injuries. The defender played 54 times for Watford in the Championship, helping the earn promotion in 2015.
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