If there’s one man that can be the key to our transition from year one to year two in the Premier League, I can’t think of a better man to do it.
Oliver Norwood was a crucial part of Sheffield United’s climb from the Championship last season, making 43 appearances and chipping in with nine assists.
However, speaking during his press conference on Thursday ahead of today’s game with Brighton, Norwood spoke about both his present and his future at the club, and dropped a little hint that he could very well be here for quite some time:
“It’s nice to see that the club still want me to be here, I’ve spoke to the powers that be and we’re in a good position. On a personal note why would I want to play anywhere else?
I have spoken before about the need for the club to keep a good core of its players together as we move forward, and if you take a look at what he brings to the team in terms of his stats, you can tell just how key a player he is to the side, and that it would be a huge gamble to consider replacing him on the pitch.
He averages the most passes of anyone in the team with 55.4 per game, which far and above his next closest competitor Jack O’Connell who only averages 45.9, he also comes second in the team in terms of key passes, averaging 1.4 per game falling just behind John Fleck’s 1.5. On top of that he also leads the team in crosses per game with 1.4, and leads outfield players with most long balls per game with 6.5 per game.
More than that though, the fact the club placed a lot of trust in him by giving him the captain’s armband for the majority of the season so far in place of Billy Sharp shows that it’s more than just technical ability he brings to the team, but also leadership.
Will Norwood be our full-time captain next season?
Yes
No
So when the club do go on their spending spree this summer to recruit new players, something that seems to have already begun, hopefully Norwood’s place in the team won’t be one of those under threat.