Irish international Glenn Whelan joins Fleetwood Town after Hearts exit

Republic of Ireland international midfielder Glenn Whelan has joined League One side Fleetwood Town.

Whelan joins Joey Barton’s charges after seeing his contract at Hearts come to an end last week, as he joined fellow Irishman Jake Mulraney in leaving the club.

The 36-year-old has made almost 300 Premier League appearances for Stoke City, and he also just helped Aston Villa to top-flight promotion last term.

In terms of his international career, Whelan has 88 caps for the Republic of Ireland and featured for Mick McCarthy’s side in their most recent EURO 2020 qualifying match against Denmark.

The Dubliner joined Scottish Premiership side Hearts in the summer but will now join up with Joey Barton’s squad for the rest of the season, with the move subject to international clearance.

On completing his third signing of the January transfer window, Barton said; “When the opportunity arose to bring someone of Glenn’s experience into our squad, we moved quickly to get the deal done.

“Glenn is hungry to play and we’re sure that he will bring the qualities that everyone knows he is capable of into our group.

"We lost some experience in this window with Peter Clarke leaving to join Tranmere, so to bring someone in like Glenn who has been the captain of his country, is really important for our squad.

“This is an exciting signing for the club, and we look forward to seeing him in action.”