Stockport County is pleased to announce the signing of former Sunderland winger, Jack Diamond on a three year deal.
The 24-year-old, an EFL Trophy winner in 2021, is set to join following the expiration of his contract at Sunderland at the end of this month, departing the Stadium of Light after ten years with the club. He leaves having made 45 appearances for the Black Cats, having come through their academy.
After making his senior first-team debut for Sunderland at 18 in the EFL Trophy, Diamond’s first real taste of first-team football came on loan at Harrogate Town, making 31 appearances for the Yorkshire side as they secured promotion to the Football League for the first time in their history in 2020. In the play-off final against Notts County, he cemented his place in Harrogate history after scoring his side’s third goal at Wembley, to secure their place in League Two.
He then returned to Sunderland that Summer following the club’s relegation to League One, making 35 appearances for the North-East side as they narrowly missed out on promotion, losing to Lincoln City in the play-off semi-final.
Having re-joined Harrogate on loan the following season, Diamond would go on to enjoy the best year of his career to date in League Two, scoring 14 times and providing ten assists to be named as the club’s Players’ Player of the Year.
He followed that up with a further eight goals whilst on loan at Lincoln City in 2022/23, including a stunning first career hat-trick in a 6-3 win away at Bristol Rovers. His performances during his time with the Imps saw him nominated for the League One Player of the Month award in September 2022.
After a period of absence away from football due to personal circumstances, Jack returned to first-team action in January when joining Carlisle United on loan, impressing in his 16 appearances for Paul Simpson’s side despite the Cumbrians’ relegation from League One.
Following his release from Sunderland, Jack will join on a deal until 2027 at Edgeley Park as we prepare to return to League One next season. He is set to join the rest of the first-team in reporting for pre-season training on July 1st.
First-Team Manager, Dave Challinor said:
“We are delighted to welcome Jack to the club. He’s been a player that we’ve liked for a long time and have tried to sign previously. The past couple of years of his career have been taken away from him through no fault of his own and he’s shown great resilience to get back playing, finishing last season on loan at Carlisle.
“We feel that with a pre-season under his belt and a platform to perform, we can get him back to the form he’s shown previously and we’re really excited to start working with him. He’s another quick ball carrier, likes to take defenders on and has exceptional pace. He can play anywhere across the front and adds more threat to what is already a really strong looking attacking unit.”
Director of Football, Simon Wilson said:
“Jack is a quick and exciting attacking player that can play anywhere across the front line and we feel will really complement our front foot style of play. Our references on him are strong and having spent time him, we know he is hungry to kick on his football career and we all recognise this as a great opportunity for all parties.
“He has that ability to travel with the ball at pace, and I am sure he will enjoy playing at Edgeley Park and hearing our crowd respond to that. He is at a great age, with already good experience at the level, but with loads more to come.”
