"Another Premier League loan" - Norwich City backed to respond to Liverpool decision | OneFootball

The 20-year-old has been recalled by the Reds after spending the first-half of the season at Carrow Road

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Kaide Gordon has returned to Premier League leaders Liverpool, following the Reds’ decision to recall him from his loan spell with Johannes Hoff Throup’s Norwich City outfit.

The winger made the switch from Anfield to Carrow Road in the summer but failed to make much of an impact during his time in Norfolk, with just ten appearances between now and last summer emphasising the need for him to play more football elsewhere.

That decision has now been reached between the two clubs, with the 20-year-old returning to Merseyside after playing just 181 minutes in the second tier; scoring one goal in the process.

Following that departure, we spoke to Football League World’s Norwich City fan pundit Zeke Downes about the situation, and whether his club will miss the wide man during the second-half of the campaign.

Kaide Gordon fails to live up to expectations after Norwich City switch

There was plenty of expectation upon Gordon’s shoulders this season - as there would be with any loanee from one of the world’s top sides - as he looked to test himself against the best that the EFL had to offer.

But rather than shine in East Anglia, the young star has struggled to find his feet, with just a single start afforded to him during his time with the Canaries, in a 2-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough back in November.

Apart from that, the attacker has had to make do with being introduced from the bench, and scored his only goal in such circumstances in his third appearance for the club, as he got in on the act when City overcame Hull 4-0 during his early days in his new surroundings.

Since then, appearances have become few and far between, with a late cameo against Coventry City on New Year’s Day proving to be his final outing in a yellow and green shirt, as Amankwah Forson’s late brace turned the game on its head in the final moments.

The writing looked to be on the wall for the young forward heading into the month, and as Arne Slot’s side made the decision to bring him back to the North West, Downes isn’t all too surprised by the actions that were taken.

When asked about the situation, the Canaries fan said: “Kaide Gordon going back to Liverpool is something that looked like it was always going to happen, because other than the first couple of games, he wasn’t really doing a lot; wasn’t getting on the pitch and wasn’t influencing anything.

“It looked like he wasn’t really ready, and it is a little bit sad because against Coventry in the last game he looked really involved and passionate, and even said to Forson that we could go on and get the winner after we equalised.

“That is obviously something that he has learned because he is at Liverpool and they have that mentality.”

Norwich City have the chance to make Kaide Gordon improvement in January

With the Championship play-offs still within touching distance heading into the second-half of the season, Norwich will be one of a cluster of sides aiming to finish in the top six come the end of the campaign.

With their lofty ambitions, City can ill afford to have players on their books who are struggling to influence matches, and have the perfect opportunity to upgrade on Gordon in the coming weeks, as they look to push on after a mixed start to Thorup’s time in charge at Carrow Road.

The Norfolk side have already acted in bringing in another top flight star on loan during January, with Aston Villa’s Lewis Dobbin [pictured] joining until the end of the season, with the 22-year-old switching to another Championship outfit after starting the season at West Bromwich Albion.

With time still ticking on in the January transfer window, Downes is confident another name can be added in the wide attacking areas before too long, with Gordon’s presence soon to be forgotten after his departure.

He continued: “It is a bit of a shame, but I don’t think he is at the level that we need him at. He could be a Championship player but not at the mid-table or top-half level.

“It makes sense for all parties really, and hopefully we can get another Premier League loan instead.”