Football League World
·11 October 2024
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·11 October 2024
Stock has been rising for several players at Carrow Road, but when should the Canaries cash-in?
Outstanding individual performances in the yellow and green of Norwich City are beginning to attract the attention of top-division sides, but do Norwich have the nous to know when (and whom) to sell?
Norwich City are no strangers to the volatile nature of transfer dealings in the Championship, and maintain an impressive record of consistently showing they are a big side in the division, despite generally turning a profit.
So what does fate hold for the likes of Josh Sargent and Borja Sainz, who look immediately primed for top-flight or even European level football.
American striker Josh Sargent has been Norwich's top scorer for two seasons running following a difficult season in the Premier League.
At 24 he has matured and improved considerably, contributing seven goal involvements in his first nine games this season. His market value, as per Transfermarkt, is estimated to be in the region of £12 million.
Borja Sainz has been an absolute revelation at Carrow road. Seven goals and two assists from a wide forward position makes him an early candidate for player of the season, undoubtedly raising his current projected ~£2 million valuation tenfold.
Finally, on a smaller scale (for now) Kellen Fisher. Signed for small fee from Bromley, the right back has all but established himself in the starting eleven.
With league finishes of 13th and to a lesser extent 6th in the last two seasons (their most recent Championship stint), Norwich haven't quite been up to their usual Premier League yo-yoing standards, although they have been an unproblematic figure of sustainability.
Patience in endeavors in departments outside of the first-team have paid dividends.
Partnerships and scouting within Brazilian Serie A alongside successful youth development has led to the likes of Gabriel Sara, Andrew Omobamidele and Adam Idah all reportedly leaving to the tune of ~£9 million profit in this two-year window.
The club have a transfer strategy envied by the vast majority. However, there are exceptions to the rule.
It is widely agreed that they kept Max Aarons for far too long. The right back left the Norfolk club in favour of Bournemouth last summer for a fee believed to be in the region of £8 million. This was a respectable fee in isolation for a Championship defender, however two years prior it is believed that the fee could have been almost four times that amount.
The powers that be will almost certainly have this particular deal in mind as they consider their current crop of valuable assets, particularly young Kellen Fisher as the parallels are there to be seen.
It appears as though in a Championship season with lots of impressive teams all vying for two/three spaces, receiving a ~£30 million injection of cash in January if spent correctly could easily provide the depth needed for a solid promotion push.
It may be wise, however, to sell just one of Sainz and Sargent for now.
The latter - due to his age combined with his international and former Premier League status - may be the more hungry to join a struggling top-flight side willing to panic buy.