Andrew Omobamidele sealed a move back to the Premier League late on transfer deadline day, as he penned a five-year deal with Nottingham Forest.
Norwich City have reportedly received a fee of £20 million for defender, making it the third-highest amount paid for an Irish player after Nathan Collins' moves in the last two summer windows.
Omobamidele leaves Norwich after coming up through the ranks at Carrow Road, having joined from his hometown club Leixlip United.
Andrew Omobamidele returns to Premier League
The 21-year-old has tasted life in the Premier League before, making five appearances as Norwich finished bottom in the 2021/22 season. His one and only goal in the top flight came in a 2-1 home defeat to Leeds United in October 2021.
Most of Omobamidele's time in the Norwich first-team has been spent in the Championship, and he returned from a serious back injury last season to make 35 appearances in all competitions.
Back in April, he became the youngest ever player to captain the Canaries, when he led them out for a goalless draw against Rotherham United.
However, the arrival this summer of Shane Duffy, one of Omobamidele's mentors in the Ireland squad, pushed the youngster down the pecking order, but that could turn out to be a blessing in disguise as he seals his move back to the top division.
From Norwich to Nottingham.#WelcomeAndrew 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/ay88YeSaK9
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) September 2, 2023
Nottingham Forest style of play
Forest usually play with a three-man central defence, a system in which Omobamidele has excelled for Ireland, and competition for places will be provided by the likes of Joe Worrall, Scott McKenna and Willy Boly.
The City Ground outfit were characteristically busy on deadline day, as they also brought in Ivorian midfielder Ibrahim Sangore, Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi and Liverpool cult hero Divock Origi, among others.
Omobamidele will hope to use his new surroundings as a platform to get back into the Ireland fold, after he was left out of Stephen Kenny's squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against France and the Netherlands.
