This is a guest report written by Ronan Manning
At just 18, Cathal O’Sullivan has more than made his mark on Irish football. Arguably the best player in the second tier in the 2024 season and a rare bright spot in a Cork City side that are struggling in the Premier Division this year, the tricky left-footed winger does not look like he will be in Ireland for much longer. He typically plays as a right winger in a front three or right midfield in a 4-4-2, but has also appeared on the left and in a central attacking midfield role.
O’Sullivan’s physical profile is not particularly impressive – he is 5’9″ and fairly slight, but possesses good speed over both short and long distances and uses his body well in physical duels. He possesses a very competitive mentality, which is a visible advantage in duels and makes up for some of his physical shortcomings.
The young winger shines in his on-ball ability; primarily, he is significantly above league level in his dribbling and his crossing. A comparison to Lamine Yamal may seem like a lazy one, but the stylistic similarities are striking. O’Sullivan already has an impressive catalogue of long-range curled goals from the right side, and on the negative side does also possess the Barcelona winger’s hesitance to use his right foot. O’Sullivan is also a confident and effective dribbler. He has very good close control skills but is most dominant when taking on a defender at speed in transition – his pace, change of direction, and intelligence on the ball allow him to beat defenders easily with a small number of touches.
While his side are in possession, O’Sullivan is occasionally willing to run in behind the defensive line for a through ball or tuck inside to receive it centrally, but tends to prefer the ball to feet wide of the opposition fullback most of the time and take him on, something he does at a high volume and solid efficiency. This is reflected in the data – he ranks 7th in dribbles per 90 and 3rd in fouls won per 90 among Premier Division players with at least 1000 minutes played this season. Once he has beaten a man and taken the available space, he often looks to get the ball off his feet quickly – his tendency to take low-percentage shots could be a mild issue, but his decision making in passing, crossing, and shooting after beating his man is generally good.
Off the ball, O’Sullivan is an energetic presser out of possession. His physicality, as covered above, is a fairly significant hindrance, but he is clearly unafraid to get stuck into tackles and put strong pressure on defenders. His physicality will likely be a limiting factor on his out-of-possession utility throughout his career (particularly in aerial and ground duels), but he is still able to cover ground quickly and press effectively.
It is important to note that O’Sullivan has not faced very strong defensive opposition in his career – his impact has been noticeably less in the more competitive Premier Division after shining in his first season in the First Division (a second tier, mostly semi-professional league). However, he has still shown competency against the stronger sides in the top tier, and his dribbling and crossing have remained consistently strong despite the drop in his goal tally.
Crystal Palace look like they are in pole position to secure O’Sullivan’s signature this summer. If they do, the Irishman will likely spend a couple of seasons in the PL2 or on loan somewhere in the EFL, but he looks to have the potential to make a significant impact on the lower end of a top 5 league or the upper end of a league like the English Championship, particularly if he is able to improve his primary weaknesses of physicality and left foot reliance as he develops.
Target Scouting 