Irish League manager determined to keep 'top player' amid Premiership transfer interest
H&W Welders manager Paul Kee is determined to keep hold of star striker Brian Healy amid interest from Premiership clubs and predicts he has the potential to become “a real top, top player”.
Healy is enjoying the best season of his senior career to date having scored 22 goals in 23 Championship appearances after netting four times in Saturday’s emphatic 12-0 victory over Armagh City.
The 21-year-old joined the Welders from Newry City during the summer and was quickly tied down to a professional contract, signing a new two-year deal in September.
Healy has already been named NIFWA Championship Player of the Month twice this term and also shone against top-flight opposition, netting a BetMcLean Cup brace in the Welders’ 6-3 defeat to Linfield.
Only 12 months after losing Tiarnan O’Connor to Larne following his sensational goalscoring form at the Blanchflower Stadium, Kee is in a similar position once again with Premiership clubs coming calling for his star talent.
With the Welders sitting three points adrift of Championship leaders Annagh United as they look to fulfil their promotion dream, Kee is expecting to retain Healy’s services beyond the January window.
"There has been interest in him since before the summer window closed,” said Kee. “He came to us and hit the ground running.
"A couple of people asked me about him then...we signed him to an extension. If you have a goalscorer at any level who is playing in a team playing a certain way, it's going to bring attention.
"Healy, like a number of players in our team, are rightly interesting clubs because they are very talented boys.
"The Welders have aspirations, we're in the top-three at the minute and want to go one better this year and finish at least second.
"We're at a key stage of the season and losing Brian would have a big impact.
"We're not interested in losing him at this moment in time and he is under contract until 2027 so we're hoping we can get through this window and he will continue doing the business for us."
Kee has already been dealt an early January blow after Senan Devine was recalled from his loan spell by Coleraine and the Welders chief isn’t interested in losing any further firepower.
"Brian’s scoring goals and is a talented boy...he's enjoying his football with us,” he added. “When he first signed, he said he wanted to help the Welders get promoted and he's still saying the same things.
"He's a very key player to our team. If you lost both of them, getting them replaced would be very difficult.
"Brian was playing on the wing at Newry, but we put him through the middle as a centre-forward and trained him there from day one.
"He's only 21 and there's still a lot of improvement in Brian.
"He could be a real top, top player and he could be banging in goals in the Premiership in the future.
"I think for his development and confidence, staying at the Welders until the end of the season and see where we are then...if we're not in the promotion mix, I certainly wouldn't stand in his way, but we need him now and that's the message he will be told. We're keen to keep him."