We’re delighted to announce the homecoming of academy graduate David McGoldrick, who has signed a two-year contract.
The 35-year-old returns to Meadow Lane having enjoyed a phenomenal 2022-23 campaign with Derby County, scoring 25 goals and being named Fans’ and Players’ Player of the Season as the Rams narrowly missed out on the Sky Bet League One play-offs.
Unsurprisingly, McGoldrick was offered the chance to stay at Pride Park but he has instead decided to fulfil his long-held ambition of returning to his boyhood club.
And our board of directors, along with head coach Luke Williams, are thrilled to welcome a player who was widely regarded as one of the third tier’s top performers.
A statement reads: “We’re over the moon to welcome someone of David’s immense quality and experience.
“He joins us on the back of his best-ever goalscoring season, but anyone who’s followed his career knows his talents extend far beyond his ability in front of goal.
“David’s an incredibly intelligent and intricate footballer who also boasts tremendous physicality, so we believe he can be hugely effective in a number of attacking roles.
“He’s been a leader and top professional at several big clubs, including recently in the Premier League with Sheffield United, and we believe his know-how and willingness to impart knowledge on to younger players will be invaluable.
“As you would suspect, David hasn’t made this decision for financial reasons. His love and respect for the club have brought him home and he’s going to be a talismanic figure as we commence this exciting new chapter.”
Nottingham-born McGoldrick progressed through our academy and made his senior debut aged just 16 in a 2-1 home defeat to Swindon Town in 2004. He went on to make another three appearances that season, which ended in relegation, before then-Premier League side Southampton signed him for an undisclosed fee.
After returning to us on loan in 2005-06, he went on to establish himself at St Mary’s and finished the 2008-09 season as the Saints’ top scorer with 14 goals as they were relegated from the Championship.
That paved the way for a £1million move to Nottingham Forest and, while his City Ground career never really got going, a loan move to League One outfit Coventry sparked his goalscoring into life as he finished the first half of the season with 16 from 22 appearances.
He returned to the Championship in the new year with a loan to Ipswich Town, a move which was made permanent the following season. He went on to score 45 goals in 159 appearances for the Tractor Boys before signing for Sheffield United ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.
His performances soon earned him an extension to his initial one-year deal and he repaid the Blades with a total of 15 goals to help fire them into the Premier League, scooping the Fans’ Player of the Season award in the process.
McGoldrick went on to rack up 63 Premier League appearances for United, scoring 10 top-flight goals including a delightful finish against Arsenal which saw him win the club’s 2020-21 Goal of the Season award.
A beacon of light in a Blades side that suffered relegation to the Championship, McGoldrick’s team-mates voted him their Players’ Player of the Season and, despite the following campaign being hampered by injury, he continued to have a positive influence at Bramall Lane as a mentor to younger team-mates.
McGoldrick departed at the end of that season, with manager Paul Heckingbottom describing him as ‘a great bloke and a winner’, qualities recognised by Derby as they brought him in on a one-year contract last summer.
And it proved to be an outstanding piece of business for our near neighbours as he notched an incredible three hat-tricks on his way to scoring 22 goals in League One.
McGoldrick also boasts international experience having won 14 caps for Republic of Ireland.
His contributions on the national stage were recognised when he was voted the FAI’s Senior International Player of the Year in 2020, shortly before he retired to focus more on family and his club career.
