Premiership managers Mick McCarthy and Roberto Martinez have issued a stern hands off warning to Premier League rivals over their in-form Irish players Kevin Doyle and James McCarthy.
The Irish duo only moved to the English Premier League, for a combined fee of £7million, last summer when Doyle left Reading for Wolves while McCarthy quit SPL side Hamilton to join Wigan.
But their valuation on the transfer market has rocketed after a season which has seen Doyle and McCarthy score eight goals between them and impress many with their work rate and determination.
Arsenal and Liverpool have both been linked with teenager McCarthy, who made his Ireland debut against Brazil earlier this month, while Doyle has a long list of admirers due to his superb form for Wolves.
But Wolves boss McCarthy believes that Doyle will spurn any suitors if the Molineux club avoid relegation this season and insists that he does not want to sell the Wexford-born star.
After last nights 3-1 win over Burnley, McCarthy and Doyle are likely to remain in the top flight next season.
"He loves it where he is. It's what makes the world go around, if a bigger, better, richer club gets in his head like any other player. But let me say, no-one would turn his head.
"I hope he scores another five or six goals and he is brilliant, keeps us up and everyone wants him and then we have a problem to deal with. I'd like to have that problem," added McCarthy, who was delighted with Doyle's selfless display in last Saturday's 2-2 draw with Aston Villa and his goal and contribution to the defeat of Burnley on Tuesday evening.
"He has had another great performance. We knew what we were buying. He was our signature player. I knew what I was buying and he's been everything I thought and probably more."
Wigan are aware that Arsenal have been keeping a special eye on McCarthy this season and it seems that a summer move for the Glasgow native is inevitable, but boss Martinez wants to keep McCarthy, and highly-rated forward Victor Moses, at the club.
"Can Wigan keep them? You'll have to ask the chairman that but I think they want to play 60 games for Wigan and them move on to the next level, but they are not ready for that yet," said Martinez.
"Maybe because they are ready to play in the Premier League now at that young age shows they are mature, but I don't think they want to go anywhere else."
Ireland international James McCarthy is hoping Wigan can secure Premier League survival as quickly as possible.
The Latics edged four points clear of the drop zone on Monday with an impressive 1-0 victory over Liverpool.
Confidence is now soaring around the DW Stadium, with belief returned to a side that had begun to wobble at an important stage of the season.
Promising midfielder McCarthy played a starring role in the success over Rafa Benitez's Reds and the Ireland international midfielder is determined to do all he can to ensure he is still a top-flight performer next term.
"It would be some feat to stay up," the 19-year-old said.
"We want to do that as soon as possible so we can enjoy this even more.
Bonus
"The gaffer (Roberto Martinez) had us in on Tuesday and told us Bolton on Saturday was an even bigger game for us.
"Liverpool was a bonus but we are playing better and have belief that we can stay up, which would be the highlight of my career."
McCarthy joined the Latics from Hamilton last summer and, having been eased into the frame by Martinez, feels he has now fully adjusted to life in the Premier League.
He added: "I'm really enjoying myself now. It was frustrating at the start, but this is what I've worked for since I was a kid.
"I've felt my touch get better and also my reading of the game. I've still got miles to go but this has been a great experience for me."
Hamilton and Ireland u21 midfielder James McCarthy has agreed a four-year contract to join Wigan Athletic for a fee of about £1.2m rising to £3m depending on appearances.
Wigan's English top-flight rivals Wolves also had an offer accepted by the Scottish Premier League club.
Accies chairman Ronnie MacDonald told BBC Scotland: "James is a superb prospect and I know Roberto Martinez and Wigan will look after him."
Wigan expect the deal for the 18-year-old to be concluded within 24 hours.
Promoted Wolves were the first club to agree a fee, but once Wigan joined the race it meant it would be down to the player to choose a preferred destination.
Tottenham Hotspur made a late expression of interest, while Celtic manager Tony Mowbray admitted that his club were being priced out of the race after they, Burnley and Portsmouth had bids rejected earlier this summer.
And it appears to have been manager Martinez's promise of involvement in the first-team squad that tipped the balance in favour of Wigan.
McCarthy, who rejected a transfer to Liverpool in 2007 and was also linked with Chelsea, received no such guarantees from Premier League rivals Spurs or Wolves.
He told Accies' website: "I had an absolutely brilliant time at Accies. The club have been tremendous with me."
The Ireland Under-21 international travelled to Wigan on Monday and will join his new team-mates at their pre-season training camp in Austria.
Celtic have had an offer for 18-year-old midfielder James McCarthy rejected by Hamilton Academical.
The Scottish Premier League leaders tabled their bid for the Ireland u21 international on Wednesday and talks have followed between the two clubs.
But Accies manager Billy Reid said on Thursday: "The club have received an offer for James. I can say at this stage that it will be rejected."
However, the player would prefer a move to Celtic than to an English club and an improved offer appears likely.
Hamilton had already rejected a bid of about £500,000 from Portsmouth for McCarthy, who has represented Ireland at under age level.
A number of English Premier League clubs were again represented at New Douglas Park on Wednesday as McCarthy played in Accies' 1-0 defeat by Falkirk.
And Everton, Newcastle, Tottenham, Middlesbrough, Wigan, Blackburn, Sunderland, Wolves and Ipswich have all been linked with the teenager.
But the player's agent, Willie McKay, said: "It is a dream for a kid from Glasgow to play for Celtic or Rangers and, if Celtic can come close to the offers made by other clubs, they must be favourites as he would love to play for the club.
"His family will have a big say in where he eventually goes.
"Celtic know how much Premiership clubs are offering and I'm sure they would be prepared to pay what would be a lot of money for a teenager."
McKay thinks the 18-year-old is likely to become the highest-paid teenager in Scottish football history should the deal be concluded.
Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell and Accies chairman Ronnie MacDonald held discussions about McCarthy on Wednesday, but no agreement has yet been reached.
And a deal is unlikely to be concluded until relegation-threatened Hamilton secure their place in the Scottish Premier League next season.
However, McKay believes that the time might be right for McCarthy, who was voted PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year, to move and ensure Hamilton's production line of promising youths continues.
"He resisted going to Liverpool to stay at Hamilton and I think the boy showed his loyalty to the club," said the agent.
Ireland U21 star James McCarthy capped off a remarkable season when he was named as Scotland's young player of the year last night.
Celtic's Scott Brown was voted the players' player of the year at the Scottish PFA awards, but midfielder McCarthy, still only 18, took home the young player award.
McCarthy, capped twice at U21 level by Ireland, has scored six goals in 33 SPL games for Hamilton this season, including both goals in a vital 2-1 win for the relegation-threatened side in a win over Kilmarnock on Saturday.Meanwhile Hamilton Academicals manager Billy Reid believes that James McCarthy’s immediate future still lies at New Douglas Park, despite the interest the youngster has attracted from a host of top clubs.
Reid watched the 18-year-old put in one of his most impressive shifts for the club on Saturday, tearing Kilmarnock apart and scoring both goals in his side’s 2-1 win.
Although there are plenty of teams who would love to pry the young Irish under 21 international away from Lanarkshire come the summer transfer window, Reid hopes he can hang on to his prized asset for a little longer.
“He’s in no hurry to leave, but if something comes up and James thinks it’s right for him and the club we’ll sit down and that could be the case” said Reid.
“But I think he sees the education he’s getting at this club.
“There were eyebrows raised when he didn’t go and sign for Celtic or Liverpool when they were interested at 15 years old, but I think he’s been proven right.
“He’s matured as a young man and is enjoying his football here.”
Young Player of the Year nominee McCarthy more than justified his inclusion in the list of candidates for the award in the crucial relegation dogfight, displaying all the credentials that have earned him endless praise over the season.
His manager believes that when the starlet is at peak fitness he can be simply unstoppable.
“He has no weaknesses” insists Reid. “Whatever’s thrown in front of him he deals with it, on and off the park, and all credit to him.
“He’s been running on empty on recent weeks. We tend to forget he’s only 18 and you can see at training that he’s tired.
“It’s been a long season for him, but the few breaks we’ve had recently have helped him enormously.
“When he’s fresh, he’s a fantastic football player who has everything. Vision, pace, goals and he links up the play, and he works back the way as well which is important.
“He is outstanding.”
Hamilton and Ireland starlet James McCarthy maintains he is ‘happy’ where he is, despite clubs circling around the young midfielder.
Rangers and Celtic have been widely reported to be interested in the 18-year-old, but he is in no hurry to leave the Lanarkshire club.
“I’m happy just now but I’ll need to just see what happens, I’m contracted to Hamilton and if a deal comes in to Hamilton and the chairman’s happy then we’ll sit down and speak,” McCarthy said.
“The Old Firm are massive clubs in Scotland and it would be great to go to either.
“But I’m happy where I am, playing week-in-week-out in The SPL at Hamilton Accies and you can’t get much better than that for a boy my age.”
McCarthy was speaking after being nominated for the Young Player of the Year award, but he maintains that SPL survival with Hamilton is more important than individual success.
He explained: “I’m delighted, it’s always great to be voted for by your fellow professionals, but there’s three other great professionals there - James McArthur, Andrew Driver and Steven Fletcher- but I’m delighted to be amongst the four em>
“My main aim is keeping Hamilton in The SPL first before taking this award and I’d be more pleased to stay in this division.”
He added: “We’ve gone throught a sticky patch just now when we’ve not been able to score, but we’ve got a big game coming up against Inverness and it’s one we’re all looking forward to.
“I’m sure we can stay up, we’ve got five games to go and hopefully we can pick up some points and score a few goals.”
James McCarthy insists there is no chance of him believing his own hype as long as he remains at Hamilton.
The 18-year-old Irish U21 international midfielder has been in top form recently and was rewarded for those displays with his second successive Clydesdale Bank Young Player of the Month award.
It was a hat-trick for the Lanarkshire club, with boss Billy Reid and goalkeeper Tomas Cerny picking up the Manager and senior Player gongs - the first time all three prizes have gone to one club since Rangers enjoyed a clean sweep in September 2003.
There is no doubt McCarthy continues to claim most of the credit with his flashes of individual brilliance.
But he claims he is in no danger of getting carried away by the constant praise or the persistent speculation over his future.
He said: "I'm happy to stay here and work away and get good experience playing every week in the SPL.
"I've got the older lads, like Mark McLaughlin and Alex Neil, who help me keep my feet on the ground.
"The gaffer too. If I ever get too big for my boots, he will bring me back down again.
"It's great to win the award, it's fantastic. But I think anyone could have won it because we have been great this month."
Accies are on an impressive winning streak of six games in all competitions, largely thanks to a change to a more conservative style of play and McCarthy has no complaints about swapping panache for points.
He said: "We have changed our system a wee bit but I think we are still playing decent football. This is the way we need to play to get results and I'm happy with that."
Craig Levein criticised Hamilton for being negative after his Dundee United side were held to a 1-1 draw at Tannadice in November but Reid believes recent results prove a change of tactics were justified.
He said: "One or two folk were slightly unhappy with the formation we played - maybe that's because how we played against them didn't suit them.
"But it's my job to make sure people are not happy when we are playing against them."
He added: "I was in the First Division for five years and I knew all the players, I knew what formations teams would play and I knew strengths and weaknesses.
"I watched as many SPL games as I could last season in the hope that we would get to the SPL and I watched a lot of games on DVD.
"But it's not the same until you play against these teams. After over half a season in the SPL, I feel like I have adjusted to that."
Rocco Quinn has no doubts that James McCarthy will play at the highest level one day after watching him mastermind Hamilton's 2-1 Homecoming Scottish Cup win over Dundee United.
Quinn - who signed from Celtic on transfer deadline day - admits he has only become aware of just how talented the 18-year-old really is since joining the Lanarkshire club.
And the youngster showed his class again on Saturday with a man-of-the-match performance which helped Accies seal their place in the quarter-finals for only the second time since 1967.
A lovely piece of skill from McCarthy set up Chris Swailes for the leveller after Danny Grainger had fired United ahead, before Swailes claimed his second of the day to secure victory.
Despite a double from Swailes, it was McCarthy who earned most of the praise and Quinn insisted: "It's thoroughly deserved.
"I've played against him and knew what a good player he was.
"But coming here and training with him every day, I've seen just what a fantastic talent he is.
"The world is his oyster. The boy can go right to the top."
Naturally, McCarthy was singled out for abuse from the travelling United fans but Quinn added: "I don't think he is the type who lets that get to him.
"If the fans want to sing, they can sing. It's not going to affect his game."
Swailes netted twice within the opening 10 minutes of the second half and Accies survived a late onslaught to hold onto their narrow victory.
Quinn said: "I actually think the first one was coming to me and Chris took it off me - so I'm not too happy about that!
"But it was a great finish and I thought he was going to get his hat-trick too.
"Lucky he didn't or he would have been boasting about it in the dressing room."
Hamilton have now recorded six wins on the trot but Quinn insists everyone at New Douglas Park has their feet firmly on the ground.
He said: "We are just taking it one game at a time and not getting too carried away.
"There are a lot of games left this season so the important thing is just to keep doing what we are doing.
"I'm delighted, this was a fantastic victory for us. The dressing room is absolutely buzzing - an all-round great day."
Lee Wilkie could have snatched a replay for United with a header in stoppage time but boss Craig Levein had no real complaints about his side's performance.
He said: "We played all right in the first half and might have had a second goal and probably should have got a second goal.
"I'm not too disappointed in the way we played. Sometimes in games, fine lines decide the outcome of matches.
"We didn't defend particularly well at the second Hamilton goal, although for the first one I should probably credit the young boy McCarthy with a great bit of skill on the wide area.
"Wilkie probably had the best chance of the match, a header from six yards with the goalie going the wrong way and it's hit his heel.
