Former Norwich City defender Ryan Bennett seals Wolves move

Ryan Bennett has agreed a three-year deal with Wolverhampton Wanderers and will join when his Norwich City contract expires at the end of June.

The 27-year-old defender was in talks with Championship new boys Sheffield United but has opted for Wolves, with the Molineux club confirming the move on Wednesday evening.

Bennett believes he can get back to the Premier League with Wolves, who parted company with Paul Lambert earlier this week and installed ex-Porto chief Nuno Espirito Santo as his replacement.

“You speak to people and this club’s stood out with the ambition and the way they’re going to move forward,” Bennett told Wolves’ official site. “That’s what stood out to me and it’s something that I want to be part of. I’m not going to sit here and lie about it - that’s the reason I’ve come here, I don’t want to sit and play in the Championship really. That’s what we’re going to try and do, we’re going to try and get promoted from the Championship this year. I’ve played in the Premier League and that’s something that everyone wants to do.

“I’m lucky enough to have done it but I want to do it again - you won’t speak to anyone who’s done it, who doesn’t want to do it again. You will see the ambition that’s going to come out from the club and the way that things are going to move forward and you’ll notice that within the first few months of the season.”

Bennett had been linked with joining Brighton on their Premier League adventure and a Sheffield Star report added that Birmingham City were also monitoring his situation.

Bennett joined Norwich from Peterborough United for around £3m in January 2012 and went on to make 119 appearances, with injury sometimes hampering his progress, although he played 37 times in the last campaign.

The big centre-back was born in Essex and spent part of his childhood growing up in the Great Yarmouth area, going to Flegg High School, in Martham. He was on the books at Ipswich Town but made his breakthrough as a professional at Grimsby Town.

Success with the Mariners and Peterborough earned him two England Under-21 caps but he is now available on a free transfer after more than five years with the Canaries, after being told that the one-year option in his contract would not be triggered this summer.