Stockport County is delighted to announce the signing of former Sheffield United captain, Oliver Norwood, with the experienced midfielder signing a three-year deal.
The 33-year-old joins County after six years spent at Bramall Lane, twice winning promotion to the Premier League with the Blades. Last season, he featured 27 times for them in the Premier League – scoring a late winner for his side in a league game against Wolves in November.
A former Northern Ireland international, Ollie brings with him a wealth of experience from a playing career spent at the top level of the game, winning promotion to the Premier League on four separate occasions with Brighton, Fulham and Sheffield United.
He began his career in Manchester United’s academy, gaining first-team experience in League One and the Championship through loan spells at Carlisle United, Scunthorpe United and Coventry City.
In 2012, he turned down new terms at Old Trafford to pursue first-team football, going on to join Huddersfield Town in the Championship. He spent two years in Yorkshire, before going on to enjoy spells at Reading and Brighton & Hove Albion.
The midfielder was a key figure as Brighton secured promotion to the Premier League for the first time under Chris Hughton, playing 33 times in the league. The following year, he joined Fulham on loan for the campaign and again secured promotion from the Championship, this time via the play-offs, with Ollie coming off the bench at Wembley as Fulham defeated Aston Villa 1-0 in the showpiece final.
Ahead of the 2018/19 campaign he moved to Sheffield United, initially on a loan deal that was made permanent just six months later. Remarkably, he then went on to enjoy a third successive Championship promotion that season, as the Blades finished runners up under Chris Wilder. Ollie played 43 times in the Championship that season, earning a place in the PFA Championship Team of the Year for the role he played.
At 28, and after three promotions, the midfielder was finally given his opportunity to play in the Premier League and excelled, featuring in all 38 of Sheffield United’s league games as they finished 9th in the top flight, falling just short of the European places.
Although the Blades lost their place in the Premier League in 2020, Norwood remained a key figure at Bramall Lane and he was again ever-present in the Championship as they won promotion back to the top division in 2022. He departed the Club this Summer, having made 250 appearances for them over six successful years.
The 33-year-old has been on trial at County in recent weeks, featuring in our pre-season friendly against Blackburn Rovers at Edgeley Park, and has impressed during his time at Carrington. Once it became clear that Ollie would be interested in signing at Edgeley Park, the Club moved quickly to secure his services.
First-Team Manager, Dave Challinor said:
“Ollie is an opportunistic signing, but what a signing it is! He came in as a mutual ‘you help us and we’ll help you out’ for the Blackburn friendly, but it’s fair to say that I think both parties have made a big impact on each other and Ollie was really forward in wanting this to happen.
“I think it’s huge testament to the set-up, infrastructure and environment that has been established by Simon and ultimately Mark, that a player who made nearly 30 appearances in the Premier League last season has come into our Club and been impressed enough to want to walk away from other offers to sign here.
“It’s also testament to Ollie as a character and a professional. His quality is obvious, but the meticulous preparation and routine that he has as an established top level player is there for all to see, and can only be a shining example to all players whether young or old.
“He’ll be a brilliant addition to the group and will further improve the quality we have on the pitch in evolving our philosophy. He’s thrown himself into everything since he’s been in with us, whether that’s been training when we’ve been in on Sundays, doing extras to improve his fitness, or offering advice and passing on his knowledge to the squad. Now that he’s a permanent fixture, I only expect this to have even more significance.”
Director of Football, Simon Wilson said:
“We have always seen the value in senior players at this football club, who bring not just the qualities on the pitch, but their experiences off the pitch, gained throughout their careers, for the wider benefit of the group.
“In Ollie, we have signed a category A example. It’s an opportunity that we didn’t think would emerge, but we weren’t going to let it pass us by once the door opened.
“Ollie has been taken in by the club, its people, and I know the word is hated – its project. He’s here to help us take the next step and committed to deliver. He will help enormously with style of play, player development, and raising standards across the board as we look to behave like a club that belongs in the upper levels of the game.”
