Marlon Harewood

Aston Villa Harewood joined Aston Villa on 17 July 2007 for a fee of £4 million and signing a three-year deal. Harewood said, "I was all set to sign [for Wigan] on the Monday when I got a phone call saying Martin O'Neill wanted to speak to me. I might have had a better chance of getting into Wigan's first team, but, with no disrespect to them, when Martin O'Neill phones you up asking you to join a massive club like Aston Villa, and he's explaining what he wants to do and how he wants to go about it, that sold it to me.". Sheffield United and Middlesbrough. thumb

Loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers He eventually left Villa on loan, joining Wolverhampton Wanderers of the Championship for the remainder of the season on 23 March 2009. He played five games for Wolves without scoring before returning to Villa Park.

Loan to Newcastle United On 24 September 2009, Harewood joined Championship side Newcastle United on a three-month loan until December. He made his debut on 26 September 2009 in a 4–0 win over Ipswich Town, coming on as a substitute for Nile Ranger in the 64th minute. His first goal for the Magpies came, in a 1–1 draw, against Queens Park Rangers on 30 September 2009 in the following game. He then scored a brace to help Newcastle win 3–0 against Swansea City on 28 November 2009 and keep the Magpies top of the table. He scored in a 2–2 away draw at Barnsley. His fifth of the season came on 20 December 2009, scoring the opening goal in the 2–0 win Tyne–Tees derby at St James' Park. Following his return to Villa from Newcastle, Harewood was injured and unable to play for the rest of the season. Aston Villa decided not to renew his contract at the end of the season.

Blackpool Harewood joined up with newly promoted Premier League side Blackpool in early August 2010 and soon entered talks with the club about a permanent deal. Phil Sproson, Harewood's agent, later revealed that talks had broken down between the two parties and that Harewood would not be joining the club. Despite this, the player and agent re-opened talks with the club and on 11 August he signed a two-year deal with Blackpool.

Two days later he scored twice as Blackpool marked their Premier League debut with a 4–0 win over Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium – their first top division game since 1971. On 10 November, he scored on his return to Villa Park in a 3–2 defeat to Aston Villa. It was his fourth league goal of the campaign, which made him Blackpool's top scorer. He was released by the club on 25 May 2011.

Loan to Barnsley Harewood joined Barnsley on loan on 26 February 2011, until the end of the 2010–11 season. He scored his first goals for Barnsley in a 2–1 win over Scunthorpe United on 8 March 2011.

Guangzhou R&F On 8 July 2011, Harewood signed a six-month contract with China League One club Shenzhen Phoenix (the club's name later changed to Guangzhou R&F). He made his debut on 9 July in a 2–1 home victory against Yanbian Baekdu Tigers, coming on as a substitute for Wen Chao in the 55th minute. Harewood scored 4 goals in 10 appearances as Guangzhou R&F finished second place in the League One and won promotion back to the top flight at the first attempt.

Return to Nottingham Forest After trialling with his boyhood club, Nottingham Forest, Harewood signed a four-month contract and began his second stint with the club. Harewood played six games, none on the winning side, in all competitions for Forest without scoring before his contract ended. After his departure from Forest, Harewood trained with Sheffield Wednesday with a view to signing permanently.

Return to Barnsley On 14 August 2012, it was announced that Harewood would be returning to Barnsley on a one-year deal, following an injury to Egyptian striker Mido. On 17 May 2013, Barnsley manager David Flitcroft announced that Harewood's contract would not be renewed with the club.

Bristol City On 20 July 2013, Harewood featured as a trialist for Bristol City in a pre-season friendly against Forest Green Rovers at The New Lawn. and featured again on 29 July against Weston Super Mare, scoring a first half brace in a 3–1 win. On 2 August 2013, Bristol City announced they had signed Harewood as a free transfer until the end of the 2013–14 season. He scored his first and only goal for the club in a 2–1 defeat to Brentford on 22 October 2013.

Hartlepool United Harewood signed for Hartlepool United on 13 January 2014 until the end of the season, following his release from Bristol City. On 1 March scored his first goal for Hartlepool United. Breaking from the halfway line, he scored their third goal in 3–0 win against Torquay United. In May 2015, Hartlepool announced that Harewood was being released by the club at the end of the 2014–15 season.

Nuneaton Town Harewood signed for Nuneaton Town on a one-year contract, on 10 July 2015.

International career Harewood was born and raised in Hampstead, London, to parents that had emigrated from Barbados. In February 2008, Harewood rejected a call-up to Barbados for the two-legged 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Dominica, deciding to concentrate on his club football with Aston Villa.

Coaching career Following his playing career, Harewood obtained his coaching badges, taking up a role as an academy coach at Nottingham Forest. In November 2021, Harewood declared his desire to enter management, whilst at the same time expressing concern over player power in the dressing room.

Personal life Following the end of his footballing career, Harewood went into business designing and customising cars.

Career statistics

Honours West Ham United Football League Championship play-offs: 2005 FA Cup runner-up: 2005–06

Wolverhampton Wanderers Football League Championship: 2008–09

Newcastle United Football League Championship: 2009–10

Guangzhou R&F China League One runner-up: 2011