Hughton makes former Barnsley man his second summer signing
CHRIS Hughton has secured his second signing of the summer in highly rated youngster Jacob Butterfield, the former Barnsley captain whose contract expired at Oakwell on June 30.
He arrives after a five-year spell at Oakwell to sign a four-year contract for the Canaries, and was unveiled at a press conference at Carrow Road this afternoon.
He played 100 games in all competitions at the heart of the Tykes midfield where he scored eight goals, form which also saw him become an England Under-21 international in November 2011.
And now at Carrow Road, Butterfield is eager to get started: "I am absolutely delighted, Norwich is a big Club and did fantastic in the Premier League last season and after speaking to Chris [Hughton] about how much he wanted to bring me here to the Club he really sold it to me," he said.
"I'm really looking forward to getting on now and working under the gaffer. I spoke to him several times and was really impressed with him; his knowledge of football is second to none.
"It's a big Club and everyone knows that, the training ground is lovely and Carrow Road is a great stadium. I've met a lot of lovely people already and I'm delighted to have signed. I'm just looking forward to getting down here and getting in to it now."
Manager Chris Hughton was delighted to secure the signature of another highly talented young English midfielder saying: "He's a player that has shown great form at Barnsley in the first half of last season playing off the front of the striker and he also spent some time in the wider areas there.
"He caught my eye not only last season, but in previous seasons. His form last year was a very good period for him and for anybody who didn't know about him before, he certainly would've caught their eye last season.
"That is of course before he picked up an injury which is over now, which we are delighted about, but he's a talent. He's got that good balance between being a good age, but at 22-years old he's also got that league experience as well. He's a player very much on the up."
The Bradford-born midfielder started his career at Barnsley, making his debut in 2007 as a 17-year old, coming on as a substitute in the Tykes 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the Carling Cup. The next season proved to be a bit of a watershed for the talented midfielder as he spent the season in and around the first-team squad, making an appearance at Wembley in Barnsley's FA Cup Semi-Final defeat to Cardiff City.
He opened his scoring account on the opening day of the 2009/10 season at Hillsborough in the Tykes 2-2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday, going on to become a regular in the Oakwell engine room in 2010/11 where he made 41 appearances, scoring two goals. His goal in Barnsley's 4-2 win over Bristol City in April 2011 was voted the Tykes' goal of the season by the fans.
But it was last season where his talents came to the forefront as he produced a terrific run of form that saw him score five goals before Christmas, form that also earned him his England Under-21 debut in the Young Lions' European Under-21 qualifier against Iceland in November.
His season ended in unfortunate fashion though during the Tykes 4-1 win over Leeds on New Year's Eve due to a knee injury, but with that now behind him he arrives at Carrow Road as Chris Hughton's second summer signing.