Homecoming for Sbarra as Solihull Moors rebuild

For Solihull supporters, few pieces of summer business will land as warmly as this one. Joe Sbarra has agreed a permanent return to Damson Park ahead of 2026-27, pending the usual league and FA approval, closing the loop on a relationship that has stretched across most of the past decade.

From loan to permanent

His latest chapter started modestly and snowballed. He came in on a short loan from Doncaster Rovers last November, short of game time after their promotion to League One, and quickly became indispensable. He topped the Moors’ scoring charts last season and, totting up his various spells, has now turned out 188 times and found the net on 41 occasions. His free-agent status from 30 June paved the way for the permanent deal.

Unfinished business

For Sbarra, this reads as a homecoming. He spoke of being thrilled to be back and of wanting to finish the job he first set out to do: lift the club into the EFL. Old wounds add an edge to that mission. Two play-off final defeats marked his earlier time at the club, and he was in the side beaten by Gateshead on penalties in the 2024 FA Trophy final, a bruising end to that stint.

Anchoring a wider rebuild

Chris Millington will be hoping the third spell is the charm. The signing anchors a broader squad refresh. Solihull have also tied up promising defender Justin Hanks, a Nottingham Forest academy product with European matchday experience, whom Millington flagged as a key recruit for a new era.

Landing Sbarra was never going to be simple or cheap. At 27 and at his peak, a midfielder scoring at the rate he managed was bound to attract well-resourced National League rivals and League Two clubs hunting value. Solihull’s position was stronger than it might have seemed, though: Doncaster were assembling a League One squad with no guarantee of minutes for him, and his fondness for the Moors had already shown in his readiness to drop back down.

Built for a promotion tilt

His skill set is tailor-made for a promotion tilt. Late runs into the box, control of the game’s tempo and composure under pressure made him one of the team’s most decisive figures last term. A 14th-place finish in 2025-26 means there is distance to close on the division’s heavier spenders - several of them newly flush with investment.

While much of the off-season chatter has centred on overseas takeovers and ex-internationals taking the reins, Solihull’s coup is refreshingly traditional: a cherished player picking the club that feels like home, and pledging himself to seeing the job through.