| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Paul O'Brien-Whitmarsh [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 11 May 2005 [2] | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland [3] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) [2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Southampton | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2019 | Fermoy | ||
| 2019–2023 | Cork City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2023 | Cork City | 23 | (4) |
| 2024– | Southampton | 0 | (0) |
| 2025 | → Accrington Stanley (loan) | 13 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024 | Republic of Ireland U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2024– | Republic of Ireland U21 | 4 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 05:15, 4 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 10:29, 12 June 2025 (UTC) | |||
Joseph Paul O'Brien-Whitmarsh (born 11 May 2005) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Southampton. [4]
He started his career at Fermoy F.C. before joining Cork City academy in 2019. He signed a professional contract with Cork in 2021. [5] He made his senior debut for Cork City in March 2023 and played for the club in the 2023 League of Ireland Premier Division. [6]
He joined Premier League side Southampton in January 2024 from Cork City for an undisclosed fee. [7] He was included in Southampton's match-day squad for the EFL Cup tie against Cardiff City on 28 August 2024, making his debut as a second-half substitute. [8] [9]
On 3 February 2025, O'Brien-Whitmarsh joined League Two side Accrington Stanley on loan for the remainder of the 2024–25 season. [10] [11] He made his debut for the club on 8 February 2025 in a 0–0 home draw with AFC Wimbledon. [12] [13] On 4 March 2025, he scored his first goal in English football during a 2–0 home win over Milton Keynes Dons. [14] The following week, he scored another two goals, credited with a brace in a 5-0 home league win over Newport County on 11 March 2025. [15]
He has been capped by the Republic of Ireland at under-19 level. [16] In November 2024, he received his first call up to the Republic of Ireland U21 squad for their two friendlies against Sweden U21 in Marbella, Spain. [17] He made his debut in a 2–0 defeat to Sweden on 14 November 2024. [18]
He is the son of former Cobh Ramblers striker Paul Whitmarsh. [19]
| Club | Season | League | National cup [a] | League cup [b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cork City | 2021 | League of Ireland First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022 | League of Ireland First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | League of Ireland Premier Division | 23 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 [c] | 0 | 25 | 4 | ||
| Total | 23 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 25 | 4 | |||
| Southampton | 2024–25 [21] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| Accrington Stanley (loan) | 2024–25 [21] | League Two | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 36 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 7 | ||