Former Derby County captain 'close' to deal with old club Barnsley

Former Derby County captain Conor Hourihane is reportedly ‘close’ to signing a deal for League One Barnsley.

Talks are ongoing about the Irishman making a return to Oakwell as a player with a view to beginning his coaching career whilst still at the club.

According to the Barnsley Chronicle, after appointing Darrell Clarke as their new manager, the Reds are close to adding Hourihane to their squad.

The 34 year-old was released by Derby in their retained list after having captained the Rams to League One promotion.

He was previously at Barnsley between 2014 and 2017 making 112 appearances and scoring 29 goals.

Hourihane captained the Tykes to promotion as well as Aston Villa to Championship promotion in 2019 when they got the better of Derby in the playoff final.

With plenty of experience as a captain and a leader on the pitch, then there is no doubt that he will be well prepared for a career in coaching in the future.

The former Irish international has made it clear that he wants to go into management and has been taking notes from the managers he has played for over a number of years.

Hourihane left Derby after making 85 appearances and scoring 12 goals over two seasons, he took to social media after leaving to say that it was a “big honor” and that he wishes the club “nothing but the best moving forward.”