Norwich City are pleased to announce that Andrew Omobamidele has signed a new contract, keeping him at the club until 2026.
Andrew is one of our many academy graduates, having joined the club at the age of 16 from Ireland. During his time at the Lotus Training Centre, Andrew has impressed with his workrate and attitude and that saw him earn his full debut for the club, at the age of 18, in a 1-1 draw with Preston North End in the 2020/21 season.
The central defender went on to make nine appearances for the club that season as Norwich City won the Sky Bet Championship. This season his progress has been slightly hampered by injury, but he has still made his Premier League debut, away at Arsenal, scored his first Premier League goal, at home to Leeds United, and represented the Republic of Ireland in World Cup qualifying matches against Portugal, Serbia and Azerbaijan.
Speaking about his new contract and his aims going forward, Andrew said: “It’s a great moment for me. It’s another steppingstone in my development and I just can't wait to keep going at this club.
“One of my biggest aims is to just keep developing and trying to cement my spot in the starting 11 week in, week out,” he added. “I want to be a first team player, playing every week, to be one of the first names on the teamsheet over the next 12 months. That what I’m really going to put my focus to.”
Head coach Dean Smith added that he is delighted that 19-year-old Andrew has signed a new contract because of the potential the player has.
“I am really pleased,” he said. “He is a young player who has got an awful lot of potential.
“Unfortunately, we have been robbed of him this season. He only managed to play in one game for me against Tottenham and he showed signs of what he can become. I am really looking forward to working with him. He has got through his injury problems now and things are looking up for him.
“He can be very good. He is quick, he is a good defender and he is calm on the ball. He is good in both boxes, as you saw with his header against Leeds. He really does go an attack the ball and he can be a goalscoring centre-half for us.”