Leyton Orient have completed the signing of Joseph Olowu, bringing the defender’s brief spell with League One rivals Stockport County to an end.
The 26-year-old has agreed a three-year contract at Brisbane Road after Orient paid an undisclosed fee for his services. His move comes only 12 months after he joined Stockport following a title-winning campaign with Doncaster Rovers.
Olowu was far from a peripheral figure during his solitary season at Edgeley Park. He played 41 times across all competitions as County reached the League One play-off final, but has now departed with two years remaining on the contract he signed last summer.
Stockport confirmed his exit in a short club statement, with Orient moving quickly to add an experienced third-tier defender to Richie Wellens’ squad.
The transfer also reunites Olowu with a manager who played an important role in establishing his senior career. Wellens took the centre-back to Doncaster from Arsenal in 2021 and handed him his first appearance in the EFL.
Their first spell together was relatively short, with Wellens leaving Doncaster later that year, but Olowu remained at the club for four seasons. He accumulated 144 appearances in all competitions and helped Rovers win the League Two title in 2024/25 before rejecting the offer of a new contract.
Wellens believes the defender’s athletic qualities will allow Orient to take a more aggressive approach without leaving themselves exposed at the back.
“Jo is someone I signed from Arsenal and gave him his league debut. He’s won a promotion with Doncaster and been part of a team, in Stockport, that was successful last season.
“He is a good size and his data on duels is very good, both aerially and on the ground. He is quick and allows us to be very aggressive when we want to win possession back. We feel like we can leave Jo one-vs-one and, at 26, he is still on an upwards curve in terms of his career.
“On a personal note, he is a brilliant lad and a great character who will come in and be one of our leaders. This is a really good signing for us.”
Olowu spent 13 years within Arsenal’s academy before leaving the Premier League club without making a senior appearance. Loan spells with Cork City and Wealdstone gave him his first taste of senior football, while he also had a trial with Manchester United before earning a contract at Doncaster.
Orient have acquired a defender with more than 200 senior appearances, a League Two winners’ medal and recent experience of competing near the top of League One. For Stockport, his sudden departure creates a defensive vacancy shortly before the new campaign, despite the club receiving a fee for a player they signed for nothing last summer.
