Barnsley Football Club are delighted to announce the signing of Leeds United midfielder Alex Mowatt!
The midfielder joins the Club on an initial two-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee from Yorkshire rivals Leeds United.
At the age of just 21 Mowatt already has over 100 Football League appearances to his name, along with experience of playing for England at U19 and U20 levels.
The midfield maestro can dictate play from the centre of the pitch with guile and finesse, as well as being equally comfortable operating on the left-hand-side of the field, flying up and down the wing.
The South Yorkshire born midfielder rose through the Academy system at Elland Road and was installed as captain of the U18s side. The natural progression of going into the U23s team was then bypassed as Mowatt was fast-tracked into the senior squad at the first opportunity.
Making his league debut in 2013 at the age of 18, Mowatt began to flourish in the first team set-up and attract nationwide interest in him with his obvious talent and ability, resulting in him winning the ‘Young Player of the Year’ award at Elland Road during the 2013/14 season.
Over the next two years, Mowatt went on to become a regular feature in the Leeds starting XI and developed a reputation as a set-piece specialist, with multiple stunning free-kick goals. His ability and talents led to the West Yorkshire side naming him as the ‘Fans Player Of The Year’ and the ‘Players Player Of The Year’ at the end of the 2014/15 season.
Two more years at Leeds followed and Mowatt continued to enhance his career and grow his reputation within the game, before Paul Heckingbottom moved to bring the talented midfielder to Oakwell. The Head Coach was delighted to secure one of his long-term targets and gave his thoughts after Alex signed his contract.
Hecky said, “This is a big signing for us and I’m really pleased to bring Alex into the group. He’s a very talented footballer and has got over 100 appearances under his belt already, at the age of just 21 so he is an excellent addition to the Club. We knew that his contract was approaching its end at Leeds and moved quickly to ensure we could bring him here on a permanent basis. He adds quality to an area that we had identified as needing it.
“He's a left-footed player which adds some balance to the midfield too. He’s young, hungry and determined to be a success here which is exactly what we need at the Club. I’m looking forward to him getting into training and integrating him within the group.”
Upon signing for the Club, Mowatt said, “I’m really happy to be joining such a good Club and I can’t wait to get going here. The Gaffer showed me his plans for me and the plans he has for the future. It was good to see how he thinks and how he wants to play, he’s really sold his ambitions to me and made me desperate to come in and get going.
“I’ve seen quite a few Barnsley games this season and they are one of the surprise packages considering we have such a young team. I obviously watched the game the other night against Leeds, the atmosphere here and the performance was absolutely class. This is a young and exciting side playing equally exciting football. There is some real talent in the side and we sit just a few points off the play-offs, so who knows where we could go.
“I’m a centre mid who likes to get on the ball, create chances and score goals. The players we have here already can help me to improve my game and I am hoping I can help the side as well with assists and goals.”
New signing Alex Mowatt could make his Oakwell debut in Tuesday night’s game with Wolverhampton Wanderers! Get your tickets online now by clicking here.
