Norwich City: Lessons must be learned from Ben Knapper January loan signing | OneFootball

Sydney van Hooijdonk never kicked on a Norwich City last season, and the club must utilise the loan market better in January.

Sydney Van Hooijdonk's Norwich City career was a misstep for sporting director Ben Knapper, a move he'll have to avoid should the club dip into the loan market in January.

The Dutchman joined the club at a late stage January transfer in the 23/24 season with an option to make the deal permanent in the summer. A swoop for the young, physical striker was seen as a solid piece of business, but David Wagner only gave him 135 minutes to prove himself, and he couldn't take his chance in that short time.

With January approaching, it's likely that the Norwich chiefs are keeping an eye on those they could bring in to temporarily bolster the squad. But January loans seem to rarely work out at Carrow Road, meaning Ben Knapper needs to up his game in less than a month's time.

Sydney van Hooijdonk could not strengthen the squad

With loan players, there's often a hopeful expectation surrounding them. They're often there to plaster over any lingering issues while a permanent option is considered, and with January signings in particular, they have even less time to adapt to make an impact at any given club.

At the time van Hooijdonk joined the club, the Canaries were lacking in attacking options. Hwang Ui-Jo's loan was cut short, their primary goalscorer, Josh Sargent, had only recently returned from injury and the only other striking option was Ashley Barnes, as Adam Idah made his way to Celtic.

Van Hooijdonk looked to be a tailor-made Championship striker. His physical presence was immediately noticeable, and there must've been a hunger to succeed, having only played a handful of games for Bologna after a relatively successful loan season at Eredivisie side SC Heerenveen, scoring 19 goals in 39 games in the 22/23 season.

But barring a single assist, Van Hooijdonk was unable to offer anything to the Norwich side fighting for a play-off spot. Though how much that can be considered his fault is debatable, not once did Wagner start him, meaning he was often playing catch-up with the rest of the squad.

It's a signing that, in retrospect, was quite baffling. Yes, a new striker was required for squad depth purposes, but it's hard to understand why he was brought in, and it seemed a strange waste of talent, while Bologna didn't get the development they perhaps would have hoped for.

It culminated in the Italian side letting their man go for free on his return to the club.

Lessons must be learned at Norwich this coming January

Johannes Hoff Thorup is in dire need of some squad depth building in January. But with majority shareholder Mark Attanasio admitting that the January transfer window is a more challenging to bring permanent players in, the loan market may be the ideal option to keep things ticking over.

Loanee Kaide Gordon perhaps hasn't got the minutes he or parent club Liverpool would have liked, spending only 172 on the pitch so far this season. Whereas Callum Doyle, on loan from Manchester City, may have been overstretched in recent games, with Thorup saying "too many minutes" and a slight injury had contributed to his dip in form compared to his blistering start.

Norwich will have to find a happy medium should they bring in a loan player in January. The van Hooijdonk saga shows that bringing in a loan for the sake of filling a space is never a good use of anyone's time or talent, especially when their parent club doesn't appear to be willing to give them proper game time. The club may look to a younger player who's already had plenty of game time this season to get up to speed.

Once again, the most likely position to be filled will be that striking option, especially given the recent reports that Sheffield United are eyeing a move for Ashley Barnes. This time round, sporting director Ben Knapper will have to consider who could bring an immediate impact to the club the way free agent transfer Emi Marcondes looks as if he's played for Norwich for years.

It may well be that an academy prospect at a top club is already being considered, and fans are always excited by the high-potential youngsters at Carrow Road, but the route of experience also shouldn't be overlooked. Norwich have plenty of younger players who are on a development path, so getting in a player who can provide them support as much as being able to provide on the pitch should be on the agenda.