Brighton handed Sheffield United and Chris Wilder huge promotion boost: View | OneFootball

It's been a bitterly disappointing campaign for Sheffield United in the Premier League, and they're set to return to the Championship after just one season in the top-flight.

In truth, the Blades' squad could have done with freshening up after promotion, but they continued with the same group of players, and it has cost them their Premier League status.

However, that isn't the fault of the players, and they can keep their heads held high that they haven't given up, and they've still recorded a number of wins in the Premier League.

One player whose effort and commitment has remained faultless throughout is midfielder Ollie Norwood. Norwood joined the club on loan from Brighton in the summer of 2018, and remains a Blade to this day, helping the club achieve a period of recent success.

Brighton handed Sheffield United a huge promotion boost in 2018

Northern Ireland midfielder Ollie Norwood signed for Brighton in 2016, and helped the Seagulls win promotion at the first attempt, before being loaned to Fulham for the 2017/18 season.

This meant that Brighton clearly didn't think Norwood was up to the Premier League, and after spending the 2017/18 season at the Cottagers helping them win promotion, he was loaned to Sheffield United ahead of the 2018/19 season.

It didn't take long for Norwood to make an impact at Bramall Lane, and he was so impressive during his loan spell that Chris Wilder and the Blades' hierarchy made his deal permanent in January 2019.

During his first season at the club, Norwood started 43 Championship games, even skippering them at times and helped lead them to promotion, making it his third consecutive promotion to the Premier League.

However, this time, he was given the chance to play in the Premier League instead of being loaned out, and he thrived there too, playing all 38 Premier League games, including 37 starts, as the Blades finished 9th in the Premier League.

It quickly became apparent that signing Norwood was a masterstroke, he's been a fantastic servant to the Blades over the years.

After relegation to the Championship in 2021, the Northern Irishman played 49 games during the 2021/22 season where his side were defeated by Nottingham Forest in the play-offs, but he played all 46 Championship games the following season, helping to take his club back to the Premier League.

It's been a disappointing 2023/24 campaign for the Blades, but Norwood did manage to record one memorable moment, scoring a penalty deep in added time against Wolves back in November to give the club their first league win of the season, sparking jubilant scenes at Bramall Lane.

Whatever the future holds for Norwood, he'll be remembered as a cult-hero at the club, and they'll always have Brighton to thank for their transfer exploits in 2018.

Ollie Norwood is set to leave Sheffield United this summer

As it stands, Ollie Norwood is set to depart Bramall Lane this summer with his contract expiring at the end of June.

After making a certain number of appearances last season, it triggered a one-year extension which has kept him at the club this season, but there appears to be no such clause next season.

It was reported by the Sheffield Star in October that Norwood wanted to remain at the club until he finished his career, but a couple of months on there's still been no sign of a new deal.

You'd have thought that, with four Championship promotions under his belt, that keeping Norwood would be a smart move this summer, particularly if the club want to make an immediate return to the Premier League, but it remains to be seen if he'll be a Blades' player come the first day of the 2024/25 season.

Regardless of what happens this summer, there's no denying that Ollie Norwood has been a fantastic servant to Sheffield United, and has helped the club achieve one of their most memorable periods in recent history.