St Patrick’s Athletic have brokered a deal with Tottenham Hotspur to make their teenage striker Mason Melia the first-ever million pound League of Ireland player.
The Saints are guaranteed an upfront fee £1.6 million (€1.9 million) with incremental bonuses including Ireland caps potentially doubling it, plus a 20 per cent slice of profit on any future sale from Spurs.
Melia, from Newtownmountkennedy in Co Wicklow, cannot join a UK club until he turns 18 in September so he will remain with the Saints for their upcoming campaign kicking off against Galway United on Friday week.
His five-year contract with Spurs begins in January 2026.
A multitude of clubs from the UK, including initial interest from Manchester City, and the continent, were tracking the talent but Celtic were the last club to compete with Tottenham for his signature.
Melia was represented in contract talks by former Ireland international Clive Clarke who, as well as being his agent, is the brother of his mother Pamela.
His uncle was central to interactions with Spurs over recent months, accompanying the youngster on trips to their plush training ground, and meetings with first-team manager Ange Postecoglou and club legend Ledley King. Once he passed his medical on Tuesday, the transfer was confirmed by both clubs.
“Our Chairman has been negotiating this deal for a number of months,” said Saints director of football Ger O’Brien about the involvement of Kelleher in securing the deal.
“It's a record transfer fee for a League of Ireland player and something the club is proud of.”
Saints have been trailblazers in this regard, receiving a record fee of €300,000 for Keith Fahey from Birmingham City in 2008, and double that when James Abankwah was snapped up by Udinese in 2022.
This package trumps those deals, further vindicating Kelleher’s decision to purchase the Saints all of 18 years ago.
Since then, the property tycoon is estimated to have pumped over €10 million into the Inchicore outfit, a large portion funding an underage system he was enthusiastic about from the outset.
We're delighted to announce that we've reached an agreement with League of Ireland side @StPatsFC for the transfer of Mason Melia.
The 17-year-old forward has agreed a deal that will run until 2031 and will join us in January, 2026.
Welcome to Spurs, Mason 🤍
— Tottenham Hotspur Academy (@Spurs_Academy) February 4, 2025
