Cambridge United announced a key summer signing yesterday as veteran midfielder Wes Hoolahan arrived on a one-year deal.
Hoolahan trained with the club last summer, before heading to Australia to play for Newcastle Jets, but he’s back in the Football League looking to add another chapter to a long and illustrious career in the game.
He began his career in his native Ireland, featuring for Belvedere and Shelbourne, before a 16-game stint in the Scottish top-flight with Livingston. He soon made the jump to England, appearing in League One with Blackpool where he featured over 90 times and earned a promotion to the Championship.
He then made the move he is best known for, joining Norwich City in June 2008. He spent a decade in Norfolk, appearing 352 times and netting 54 goals, twice earning promotion to the Premier League. After leaving Norwich, the 38-year-old spent the 2018/19 season with Championship side West Bromwich Albion before his move Down Under.
He was also capped 43 times by Eire, scoring three goals, with his final cap coming in 2017 at the age of 35.
Head Coach Mark Bonner is clearly delighted to have landed his target, whom it is believed he wanted last summer, as he told the club’s website:
“We are delighted that Wes has joined us and the quality and experience he will bring us makes him a really strong addition to the team. He showed us last summer the benefit to our environment he will add by setting standards with his work ethic and professionalism.
“I know he will be another excellent character around the club and in the dressing room, but he is full of energy to play, to make us better and to contribute to a winning team.”
However, that enthusiasm isn’t shared by all of the supporters reacting on Twitter. There’s little doubt Wes Hoolahan is a talent, or has been a talent, but the division seems to come around his usefulness at the age of 38, as you’ll see below.
TRY OUR PREMIER LEAGUE STICKERS QUIZ FEATURING PLAYERS ALL ACTIVE WHEN WES HOOLAHAN STARTED HIS CAREER
[freshpress-quiz id=”12969″]
https://twitter.com/BobbyCUFC03/status/1288150785327587329
https://twitter.com/SimonHollamby/status/1288150021230166017
https://twitter.com/MattNicholson80/status/1288151088605126656
https://twitter.com/hashtagMullins/status/1288151938656342021
https://twitter.com/AzaTurkish/status/1288153713165639684
https://twitter.com/Jon031091/status/1288167304824598528
https://twitter.com/kennettU6810/status/1288226479315263488
https://twitter.com/parny19/status/1288163791058894852
https://twitter.com/BuenaVisa/status/1288225868679122949
