Sunderland development emerges in West Brom, Watford race for Oliver Norwood | OneFootball

Sunderland have held talks with Oliver Norwood amid interest from them, Watford, and West Brom.

Sunderland have reportedly held talks with the agent of midfielder Oliver Norwood amid interest in the player.

That is according to journalist Michael Graham, who states that the Black Cats do have a strong interest in the player, and they are talking to Norwood’s agent, but so are others.

Sunderland will be looking to be active in the coming weeks as they try to put together a squad that is good enough to challenge at the top end of the Championship.

Furthermore, it is likely that the club will be looking to make some changes, as Regis Le Bris is their new manager, and he will surely have made it clear that he wanted fresh faces coming in before he was made manager.

It appears as though one player the club is pursuing this summer is midfielder Oliver Norwood after his exit from Sheffield United.

Sunderland hold talks with Oliver Norwood’s agent amid interest

Ollie Norwood first joined Sheffield United on loan from Brighton in 2018, but the loan lasted six months before it was made into a permanent switch.

The midfielder has stayed with the Yorkshire side ever since, with his time at the club ending this summer after the Blades’ relegation from the Premier League.

Norwood is now a free agent, and even though he is getting on a bit with age, the experienced midfielder isn’t short of options this summer.

According to a previous update from Michael Graham, Sunderland, Watford, and West Brom are all interested in signing Norwood.

He stated at the time that the Black Cats do hold a serious interest in the player, but nothing was advanced, and they faced competition from two other Championship sides.

Graham has now provided a further update, and he has reported that Sunderland have indeed held talks with Norwood’s agent, and they are trying to secure a deal, but so are others, which are likely to be the other interested teams mentioned before.

Ollie Norwood’s Championship stats

Oliver Norwood is a very experienced player, someone who has been around the English game for a long time now and has gained enormous experience.

Before joining Sheffield United, Norwood played for teams such as Coventry City, Huddersfield Town, and Reading.

The Northern Irishman has been very influential in the teams he has played for, but he achieved great success while with the Blades.

Apart from last season, Norwood was a constant regular in the team for Sheffield United, playing in more or less every game as he was a part of two teams that got promoted from the Championship.

Overall, Norwood has played 381 games in the second tier, scoring 25 goals and recording an impressive 48 assists.

Norwood might be 33 and getting to the latter end of his career, but he will believe he still has a lot to offer, and he could do exactly that for a team like Sunderland.

The midfielder would not only improve the Black Cats midfield, but it would also bring some much-needed steal and experience.

Norwood might not be able to play every minute of every game, but his experience and leadership qualities would make him an excellent player to have around the squad during the campaign.

But the midfielder still also has that quality, and in the Championship, he could still be a real threat and dangerous in creating chances for the Sunderland attackers.