David Healy won't be drawn on potential of all-Ireland Conference League showdown with Shelbourne and addresses transfer approach
Linfield manager David Healy wouldn’t be drawn on the potential of a blockbuster Conference League play-off showdown against League of Ireland champions Shelbourne, instead fully focusing on the job at hand as his side look to overturn a qualifying deficit on Thursday evening.
Despite already meeting in the Champions League earlier this summer when Shels ran out 2-1 winners on aggregate, the pair will enter another all-Ireland clash with a Conference League spot on the line if Linfield can navigate their way past Vikingur at Windsor Park.
The Blues currently trail 2-1 after last week’s third qualifying round first-leg defeat in the Faroe Islands as they look to follow in Larne’s footsteps by reaching the League Phase of European football for the first time in their history.
That achievement would be worth a minimum of £2.7million with further financial rewards up for grabs based on results, but Healy insists he’s not interested in a hypothetical situation with Shelbourne awaiting the winner.
"We'll look forward to that if it happens,” he said. “It would be great for a League of Ireland team or team in our league if it happened."
Sealing further progression in Europe could be key to Linfield’s future plans with Healy keen to add players to his squad as they look to defend their Gibson Cup crown – the Blues began with a 3-0 weekend victory over Dungannon Swifts.
Northern Ireland youth international Sean Brown is the sole summer recruit, and while the prestige of ticking off a Conference League milestone is more important than finances to Healy, he admits they’re on the lookout before the window shuts in a matter of weeks.
"We signed one player and I said previously if we didn't get through a round of Europe that would likely be it,” he added. “Am I banging the door down at the club looking? No, but there's always been one, two or three that you're thinking along the way if things are looking better we'd be looking to add and that'll continue even if we don't add in the next couple of weeks.
"There's money there. We as a club have no investors and people will say we get money off the IFA for rental of the stadium...I don't think anybody else is going to rent out their house and not receive income from it.
"When you look at investment at other clubs now, that £240,000 is a drop in the ocean. We have to generate elsewhere...we brought in money from academy players, designs of kits have helped bring income to the shop and Europe.
"We have to be sensible, reasonable and we've been told about the new laws where there's going to be points deductions and fines. I'm so excited to see how this is going to be governed and welcomed by everybody else in the league."