Norwich City hit the jackpot with double South American raid: View | OneFootball

Norwich City have had a rather up and down campaign.

The Canaries, at one stage this season, were sat in the bottom half of the table, but have managed to turn their fortunes around as they now fight for a spot in the Championship play-off places.

It is currently down to West Brom, Norwich and Hull City to finish in the final two play-off places, and David Wagner will be confident that his side has enough quality to achieve that goal.

While Josh Sargent is Norwich City's top scorer this season with an impressive 15 goals, Norwich supporters owe some gratitude to a certain South American duo who have played a huge part in the club's turnaround this season.

Gabriel Sara and Marcelino Nunez both signed in the summer of 2022, and while these names were rather unknown at the time, they have since become extremely popular figures at Carrow Road over the last two years.

Gabriel Sara's importance

The 24-year-old has been one of Norwich's most valuable players this season, achieving double digits in both goals and assists; an impressive feat for a midfielder.

Sara arrived at Carrow Road in 2022 from Brazil, and went on to score seven goals and assist four in his first ever season in English football. This season, however, he has upped his game even further and has become a fan favourite among the Norwich faithful.

The key aspect of Sara's game is his versatility, as he can practically play anywhere in the midfield. Recently, he has been deployed on the right wing, which, of course, has seen him grab a few goals.

His eye for goal has been extremely impressive this season, and in March he scored, by far, the best goal of his Norwich spell so far as the Canaries picked up a 5-0 win over Rotherham.

At just 24-years-old, there is no doubt that Sara will go on to play Premier League football, and Norwich will be praying that he stays with them, as he could be hugely influential for years to come.

The signing of Marcelino Nunez

Just two weeks after Norwich signed Gabriel Sara, Marcelino Nunez also arrived from South America looking for his first taste of English football after impressing in Chile.

Nunez was thrown straight into the starting eleven by manager, Dean Smith, and he impressed early on, grabbing a goal in just his second appearance, as his side suffered defeat against Hull City.

The 24-year-old is less about goal contributions though, and more about stability in the middle of the park, often playing as one of the more defensive midfielders. His pass-success rate this campaign is currently at 87% in the Championship, and despite being a midfielder, he tends to have a few long-range efforts on goal, averaging 1.6 shots per game.

This season, he has played a part in Norwich's climb up the Championship table, making 23 league starts and coming off the bench on 11 occasions. He is not always in the starting lineup, but when he does appear, he is one of Norwich's more promising talents.

Norwich have hit the jackpot

Recruiting from South America back in 2022 has proved to be a stroke of genius by the Canaries, who now have two top-quality players on their hands.

Both Sara and Nunez were completely unknown when arriving at Carrow Road, but now many in English football have become familiar with those names as they continue to impress in the Championship.

Both are just 24-years-old, so if Norwich get lucky, they could both play huge roles for the club for years to come, if their positive development continues.

Sara has already proved that he is a handful for defenders this season, so it is likely that he will have a few eyes on him this summer, but his contract does not expire until 2026, and even then there's an option of a further year.

Similarly, Nunez' contract expires in the same year, meaning any club that comes in for these players will have to pay a reasonable fee.

It is a win-win situation for Norwich; they either keep a hold of two top-class individuals for a few years, or they sell for profit. Either way, the club will be extremely pleased at how successful their signings from South America have been.