Conor Hourihane has been unveiled as Barnsley’s latest signing, joining on a free transfer from newly-promoted Derby County according to the club’s official website.
The midfielder has signed a multi-year deal with the club, which also sees him become a first team coach alongside playing for the Tykes. It is expected that he’ll transition to become full-time in that role further down the line.
Fresh off of the back of captaining Derby County to promotion to the Championship, the signing of Hourihane is certainly a statement of intent on Barnsley’s side. He’d finish the League One season with five goals and eight assists and has shown no signs of slowing down despite now being 33.
A familiar face at Oakwell, the Irishman would enjoy a fine stint with the club between 2014 and 2017. He’d end up playing for the Tykes over 130 times across all competitions, putting up 31 goals and 48 assists during that time. His quite spectacular performances for Barnsley helped them reach the Championship after gaining promotion via the League One play-offs during the 2015/16 season.
He’d be the man to lead the club out at Wembley and the first to lift the trophy. Although he’d leave midway through the following season to join Aston Villa for a significant fee, he still has a rather special place in fans’ hearts.
Hourihane would however first make his name at Plymouth Argyle, where he was everpresent in their League Two lineup between 2011 and 2014. After becoming the main man in the Pilgrims’ engine room, he’d make the step up to the Tykes and never really looked back. It would be in Devon where he’d establish his name but in Yorkshire where he’d truly put his name on the map.
Speaking to club media about the impact that the midfielder will have both on and off of the pitch, head coach Darrell Clarke said:
“This is an exciting day for all of us, having Conor’s experience around the building is going to be vitally important. With over 600 games under his belt at every level including the Premier League and internationally with Ireland, there is nothing that Conor has not seen in the game and this will make him a top coach and someone our young squad can look to for guidance. The fact that he is also still going to be a player I can call upon makes this deal even sweeter. As soon we met last week, I knew this is someone who I would be delighted to welcome into my staff and onto my team, the hard work planning for pre-season is now firmly underway.”
Writer’s View
This is quite frankly a superb signing by Barnsley with Hourihane bringing proven quality as well as experience to an ambitious club. Furthering that, his transition into a coach will only benefit them in the long term and a great deal has been struck.
Even at 33, he’s not slowing down and enjoyed another fine season with Derby last term. He’s been one of the best players in the EFL over the last 10 years through spells with Plymouth, Barnsley and Aston Villa and will now be wanting to further write his name into EFL history.
It’s been a strong start to the summer window for the Tykes and there’s a lot to like about how they’ve recruited so far.
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