Football League World
·5 July 2024
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·5 July 2024
Oliver Norwood is searching for a new club and he should be leaning towards West Brom over other interested sides.
West Brom boss Carlos Corberan will be looking to do more business in this transfer window than he was able to do last summer.
The Baggies had to be very careful with what money they spent due to their financial issues and their ongoing takeover.
That takeover has now been completed though, and Corberan will hope that means he can sign more than just free agents and loan deals.
However, that isn’t to say that the Midlands side won’t be looking at the free agent market, as at this time of the year there are players available who have just left their clubs because their contracts have expired.
Oliver Norwood fits into that category, as he finds himself without a club having left Sheffield United, and it appears as though West Brom are interested in signing him.
West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland, and Watford are all interested in signing midfielder Ollie Norwood.
That is according to Black Cats journalist Michael Graham, who states that all three sides hold a serious interest in the player.
Norwood currently finds himself without a club after leaving Sheffield United following their relegation from the Premier League.
The 33-year-old was with the Blades for five years and was a part of their teams that won promotion to the Premier League.
The Northern Irishman looks not to be short of interest, as West Brom, Sunderland, and Watford are all keen on the player, but according to Graham, nothing is advanced yet.
Given that Norwood is out of contract at Sheffield United and now finds himself a free agent, it comes down to what the player wants to do next in terms of his next football club.
The midfielder will likely believe he still has a lot to offer a side in the Championship and will want to join a side that can meet his ambitions of reaching the Premier League.
These three interested sides have all been in the top flight recently and will all have the aim of returning soon, but Norwood should be leaning towards a move to West Brom over Sunderland and Watford.
That is because, firstly, West Brom are the more likely of these three sides to be in the race for a play-off spot in the 2024/25 season.
There is a lot of uncertainty at Sunderland with their new manager in Regis Le Bris, as well as what players they may lose this summer. The same could be said at Watford, as Tom Cleverley is very inexperienced as a head coach, and the Hornets could lose one or two of their better players - one has already departed in the form of Ismael Kone.
Now, West Brom could also see one or two key departures this summer, but they have a manager in Carlos Corberan who knows how to get into the play-offs, and with him already succeeding last season, it seems the best out of the three to do it again this season.
Furthermore, Corberan likes to have some experience in his team, as shown by Alex Mowatt and Okay Yokuslu already at the club. The latter however has been mentioned with an exit this summer back to his former club Trabzonspor, and Norwood could be the ideal replacement.
Corberan also had midfielders such as Nathaniel Chalobah and Yann M’Vila last season, but both have now left, and the Spaniard could be looking for at least one addition to replace them.
Norwood may be 33 and not have many years left in those legs, but he would be someone who would definitely improve a team like West Brom.
Norwood was impressive for the Blades in their last Championship campaign, as the midfielder scored twice and assisted five goals as he started 39 of the club’s 46 league games.
The 33-year-old was so key on the ball, as he created nine big chances for his team-mates and finished the season with a 78% passing accuracy and he averaged 1.8 key passes per game, as per Sofascore.com.
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