Birmingham City & Huddersfield Town may always share Norwich, Sunderland transfer envy | OneFootball

Alex Pritchard's mixed career was perfectly showcased by contrasting spells at the four clubs

Alex Pritchard is someone who became a 'household name' in the EFL over time, as a result of multiple spells with various Championship sides.

However, whilst the aforementioned statement is something which supporters of any second tier side will find hard to disagree with, the fanbases of Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town, Norwich City and Sunderland aren't exactly likely to see eye-to-eye on how they viewed the playmaker's stints with their respective sides.

At 32 years of age, the former Tottenham Hotspur academy graduate is currently plying his trade in the Turkish Süper Lig with Sivasspor, which is perhaps the main reason as to how he has all of a sudden become a 'forgotten man' as such.

It is also fair to say that several of his multiple permanent or loan clubs have endured extremely contrasting fortunes in recent seasons, some of which Pritchard has either played a key involvement in, or has been involved in a set of circumstances which no supporter of any side particularly wants to have to go through.

Alex Pritchard initially shone at Championship level for Brentford and Norwich City

After joining Spurs as a teenager from London rivals, West Ham United, Pritchard immediately became one of the more highly-rated prospects at White Hart Lane, with there being indications that even El Clásico rivals and Spanish giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona, would come calling for his signature over time.

After making two senior appearances for the senior team in North London, Pritchard's first exposure to regular first-team football came on loan with Peterborough United for the second half of the 2012/13 Championship season, although he was unable to help Posh avoid relegation to League One, before spending the following campaign with Swindon Town.

However, it is fair to say that his breakthrough came on loan with Brentford in the second tier in 2014/15, where his record of 12 goals in 47 matches across all competitions helped the newly-promoted Bees into the play-offs - where they were defeated by Middlesbrough in the semi-finals - and saw him feature in the PFA's Championship Team of the Year.

Unfortunately for the midfielder, this didn't automatically translate into a solid first loan move in the Premier League with West Bromwich Albion, before he found his feet once again at Norwich after completing a first permanent switch of his career to the Norfolk side for £8m.

Although the Canaries were unable to regain their top-flight status at the first time of asking, Pritchard amassed 15 goal contributions in 30 Championship appearances, before an injury-hit start to the 2017/18 season saw him feature just nine more times before returning to the Premier League with Huddersfield.

Alex Pritchard enjoyed fine Sunderland stint in between Huddersfield Town, Birmingham City woes

With the Terriers looking to establish themselves as a top-flight side under David Wagner, the West Yorkshire side parted with a £11m fee to secure his services on a three-and-a-half year contract.

He would soon score his first ever Premier League goal in a 4-1 success over AFC Bournemouth at the Accu Stadium, although this would prove to be as good as it got at Huddersfield for the playmaker, who failed to justify the eight-figure sum invested in his signature throughout 83 appearances, where he would accumulate just five goal contributions.

At the end of his contract, Pritchard then moved to Sunderland on a free transfer, initially under the management of Lee Johnson.

However, whilst Johnson was dismissed in January 2022, the midfielder was reunited with Alex Neil at the Stadium of Light, with the Scot then overseeing a remarkable short-term transformation at the North East which ended the Black Cats' four-year stint in League One.

“That season, we scored a lot of late goals which showed the character in the group. We were inconsistent, but the only focus was getting over the line," Pritchard stated in May 2025.

Despite Neil's shock exit months later, he would help the Wearside club reach the Championship play-offs in 2022/23 under Tony Mowbray, where they were defeated by Luton Town.

However, Pritchard's most recent season in England proved to be a forgettable one for so many reasons. With Sunderland dismissing Mowbray in December 2024, the playmaker made it clear that he wanted a move away from the North East.

Birmingham would then agree a two-and-a-half year deal for his services under Mowbray's management, although the experienced boss would fall ill just weeks later, leaving Blues under the interim management of Mark Venus and latterly, Gary Rowett.

Pritchard made just nine appearances for the Second City side, before stating: “I’ve got to the stage in my career where it’s time for a new beginning, a different place, a different culture," as his move to Sivasspor was confirmed just weeks into Chris Davies' tenure at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.