DARIUS LIPSIUC has joined Walsall on loan from Stoke City until the end of the season.
Lipsiuc, 19, joined Stoke from St Pat’s a year ago having previously played for his local club St Mochta’s.
He made his first-team debut with a cameo appearance in the Carabao Cup win over Fleetwood Town in September and won his first Ireland under-21 cap against Sweden in November.
And the midfielder will now gain more experience with the League Two outfit.
He said: “It’s been a long time coming with talks throughout the whole window so I’m buzzing and ready to go.
“It’s my time to get football experience in the league now and there is no better place to start than Walsall.
“The team is flying at the moment so hopefully I can help as much as I can and get as many minutes as possible.”
Walsall boss Matt Sadler added: “Darius is an all-action, powerful midfield player. He wants to run, wants to work hard.
“He’s got a very good attitude and fits the mould of the type of player that we want.”
Elsewhere, former Ireland youth star Ali Reghba has joined Slovenia’s most successful club, NK Maribor.
The 25-year-old Dubliner moves to Maribor – who lie second in the table – on a two-and-a-half-year contract.
The ex-Ireland youth international had caught the eye for Rabotnicki in Macedonia, scoring seven times and providing five assists in 11 games before the mid-season break.
Slovenia will be the fourth country in which the forward has plied his trade.
After impressing for Bohemians, he was snapped up by Leicester City in July 2019 where he lined out for their Under-21 side.
Three years ago, he joined CR Belouizdad in Algeria, his father’s home country, before linking up with Rabotnicki a year ago.
