On the surface, Philippe Clement’s squad looks heavy on numbers in certain areas, with only contracted goalkeepers George Long and Louie Moulden having moved on so far this window.
The expectation is that some of those deemed surplus to requirements at Carrow Road will soon begin departing for pastures new. Host Adam Harvey was joined by Connor Southwell to discuss the players who could be on their way out.
Here is a flavour of the 54-minute long discussion below.
AH: Norwich have a big and, in some areas, bloated squad. Let’s run through a few names, starting with Jakov Medic. Are there clubs interested in him, and could his wages be a stumbling block?
CS: I’d expect him to move on before the end of the window. I think there is interest, and enough interest, to get him away. The question is whether that would be a permanent deal or a loan with an option. I think all of those possibilities are on the table.
He found himself in a difficult position last season, probably through no real fault of his own. Ruairi McConville and Jose Cordoba really kicked on, while Harry Darling is in the building, and now Bruno Alves as well; I think he’s probably fifth choice at the moment.
For a player of his pedigree, his standing and the career he’s had, the prospect of not making matchday squads again isn’t really a position he wants to be in next season. I think there have been pretty amicable conversations about that.
Jakov Medic only signed for the Canaries last summer (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)
Clearly, he’s a good lad and, from all the noises we’ve heard, he’s been good around the group. There haven’t been any tantrums about it. I think it’s just been a very respectful acknowledgement that it hasn’t worked, which it hasn’t, and it’s now about trying to move him on.
Norwich were probably in a position last season where you could argue they had four first-choice centre-backs, or at least four first-team centre-backs. I think the idea of adding another one to that is just too many. Five is too many. He’s not going to play here; I don’t foresee that, so all of that probably points towards an exit for him.
AH: Would Amankwah Forson fall into a similar camp? We believe there’s interest from clubs across Europe in taking him on loan, maybe domestically as well, and it’s difficult to know where he fits in.
CS: That’s the problem, isn’t it? We’re two years into Forson being at Norwich, and we’re still not really sure what his best position is or where he plays, and that’s problematic.
When you think back to when he came on against Oxford a couple of years ago, it was as a number eight where he really impressed. We’ve seen real moments of promise from him on the right. We’ve seen bits of him as a number 10, but they have been bits; they’ve been flashes, and it hasn’t been consistent enough.
Amankwah Forson is attracting interest from both European and domestic clubs (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)
Injuries have probably played a big part in that as well. I struggle to see where he fits in. I don’t think he has the intensity, probably, or maybe even the athleticism, to be a consistent Philippe Clement player. I’d love to be proven wrong on that, but it’s just a feeling I’ve always had.
That said, there is clearly something there. There is talent there. So, yeah, I think I’d look at a loan for him, just with where he’s at and maybe where the market is at as well. You have to think about the money Norwich paid for him, and I don’t think they’d get that back at this stage, so it’s probably worth taking that gamble.
They’ve got enough time left on his contract to give him a season out on loan. If he really impresses, that could then bring his value back up, if not to the level they paid, then at least a little bit closer to it, which would clearly be best for all parties.
And yeah, like you say, there are domestic and overseas options on the table for him. I’d probably lean more towards overseas at the moment, but who knows? If there was a Championship opportunity for him, that could be quite interesting from Norwich’s perspective if the long-term view is reintegration further down the line.
But, yeah, probably similar to Medic, when the season gets going, I’m not sure he’s one I see being in the conversation for matchday squads, given the quality of players they’ve got ahead of him, combined with the situation we’ve spoken about positionally and just not really knowing where he plays.
Amankwah Forson celebrates after scoring the winner against Sheffield United last season (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)
It feels like, of all those positions we went through a minute ago, there are options ahead of him. A lot would have to happen for Forson to play regularly. So, I think he probably needs to go out on loan.
AH: A few people have mentioned Liam Gibbs and his future. I guess with Kellen Fisher’s injury and the fact Gibbs’ versatility saw him deployed there last season, does that change things? Could he have to stay until January?
CS: I think certainly the next six weeks is what I’d say. That’s the problem Liam Gibbs has kind of got. There’s always an argument to keep him, isn’t there?
Particularly with the injury issues they’ve had, because he’s so reliable. By that, I mean less about fitness but more in terms of what he can offer positionally. Obviously, he’s had injury struggles of his own, but you can play him at right-back.
They did a lot of work with him towards the back end of last season, with a view to him playing at right-back, as he did against Charlton. He was good that day and in other games as well. Clearly, when Kellen Fisher is out, he offers a level of security and depth in that position, which is really important.
I think certainly until Kellen Fisher gets back, he’ll stay around. But then it may well become a conversation later in the window. If an opportunity arose for him to go out on loan, I think that would be good for him.
Liam Gibbs came close to leaving on loan in January (Image: Paul Chesterton)
Because, certainly, if I was advising Liam Gibbs, and I’m not, it would now be about saying, ‘Look, you’ve worked yourself back from injury. You’ve shown you can be a dependable player and someone who can perform at Championship level. Actually, now what you need is regular game time.’
He was, again, a little bit unlucky in January. We know he was close to a move to Scotland, with Motherwell leading for a loan deal, and that fell through, I think, because of an injury issue Norwich had.
So yeah, he’s probably been a little bit unlucky with it. But I think now feels like a really good opportunity for him to go out on loan and get some minutes. Then, perhaps next summer, everyone has the chance to properly assess where he’s at in terms of this Norwich City squad.
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