Canaries announce summer signing of young Dagenham & Redbridge striker
James Collins of West Ham and Mason Bloomfield of Dagenham during a friendly earlier this week. Picture: Gavin Ellis/TGS - Credit: Gavin Ellis/TGS Photo
Norwich City have announced their first summer signing, after coming to an agreement with Dagenham & Redbridge for their striker Mason Bloomfield.
James Collins of West Ham and Mason Bloomfield of Dagenham during a friendly earlier this week. Picture: Gavin Ellis/TGS - Credit: Gavin Ellis/TGS Photo
The 21-year-old has scored two goals in 18 games in the National League so far this season but will be leaving for the Canaries at the end of the campaign, to join City's under-23 squad.
Bloomfield came through the Daggers' academy system and made a League Two appearance as a 17-year-old in September 2014 before going on to spells at various clubs, including Chelmsford, Grays, Brentwood and Aveley.
Dagenham suggested there had been interest from 'a number of club' for Bloomfield when confirming the deal on their official website.
'I'm really excited to start over there as it is another big step up and it has come about really quickly,' Bloomfield said.
'If you were to tell me a year ago today that I would be signing for Norwich, I would have looked at you thinking that you are a bit crazy.'
Bloomfield scored in a 3-1 friendly defeat to West Ham on Wednesday, as the Premier League side helped the cash-strapped club raise funds, with the likes of Pablo Zabaleta, Aaron Cresswell, Patrice Evra and Mark Noble all playing for the Hammers.
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Daggers manager John Still continued: 'Since he has joined us from Aveley he has progressed very quickly, and he has worked incredibly hard.
'We feel that the progress that he has made has been outstanding and that has led to teams looking at him and then receiving a bid from Norwich.
'We are proud of Mason being the next one in a long line of players that have started their careers here and pushed on and we wish him all the best.'
Dagenham's academy manager, former Watford midfielder Micah Hyde, added: 'He played for me in the 2013/14 season and he was in the under-15s while I was in charge of them and then I took him on to the youth team when I took charge of that, so he has spent a good five years with us.
'It is fantastic for us to see him go on and do well, he was in the youth team for a while and this will be the third one under me to move onto a bigger club and that is what we are trying to do.'
City have not disclosed the length of Bloomfield's contract.
