The long-running saga surrounding Dennis Cirkin’s international future has taken yet another unexpected turn, with the Sunderland defender now called up to the Latvia squad.

Dennis Cirkin, who was born in Dublin, has long been eligible to represent Ireland, but has never committed to the Boys in Green despite being on the radar for a number of years.

Now, the 23-year-old left-back has been included in the Latvia squad for their upcoming Nations League fixtures against Gibraltar, adding a fresh chapter to what has already been a complicated international situation.

Cirkin’s eligibility has been a source of intrigue for some time.

Having moved to England at a young age, he was also eligible to represent England and was called up to the England U21 squad on two occasions in 2025, although he withdrew both times due to injury.

At that stage, it appeared as though England may have been his preferred route.

However, reports last year suggested a very different outcome.

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According to reports from Turkey in August, Dennis Cirkin had opted to declare for Azerbaijan at senior level, a move that surprised many given his strong links to both Ireland and England.

That potential switch was linked to his family background, with his father from Hatay, a region with connections to Azerbaijan, while there were also suggestions he had previously turned down an approach from Turkey.

Despite that, no senior international appearance materialised following those reports, leaving his international future unresolved.

The latest development, with Latvia now calling him into their squad, adds further intrigue.

It remains unclear whether Dennis Cirkin has formally committed to Latvia or if this call-up represents another exploratory step in what has been a winding international journey.

Highly rated during his time at Tottenham Hotspur’s academy before moving to Sunderland, Dennis Cirkin developed into a regular performer at Championship level and was regarded as one of the more promising young full-backs in England.

He has struggled for minutes this season with Sunderland making only seven appearances.

While it never seemed hugely likely that he would ultimately choose Ireland, given his involvement with England underage squads, the continued twists in his international story have kept his name in the conversation.

Now, with a Latvia call-up on the table, it appears the saga may finally be approaching some sort of conclusion, though, given the nature of this story so far, it would be no surprise if there were yet another twist to come.

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