City Watch Q&A: Lowdown on Angus Gunn
Norwich City announced the signing of Angus Gunn on June 6th on a season-long loan from Manchester City.
Although everyone in yellow and green knows the insides and out of his father – Bryan – they may not know Angus quite as well.
I spoke to City Watch writer Jack Brain to hear his opinion on the shot-stopper and find out a little bit more…
Firstly, what was your initial reaction to the news?
The news came as a happy surprise. Gunn spent the majority of the season fighting for a place on the bench at City and, given the uncertainty with Claudio Bravo and Willy Caballero, it was quite surprising not to see him given a chance at any point. The loan should benefit him massively. It will be good to see him get some game-time.
How did he perform for your academy last season?
Gunn actually only made five league appearances for the EDS last term. As I mentioned, he was mostly fighting to be included in City’s match-day 18 and did so when Bravo suffered an injury at the back end of the season.
Do you think he could have a chance at Manchester City in the future?
That’s a very tough question. If you would have asked me before City signed Ederson, I would have been confident that Gunn could eventually break into City’s team. However, Ederson’s only a couple of years older than Gunn and is clearly rated a lot higher by Pep Guardiola. I don’t think it would be a surprise to see Gunn as City’s second goalkeeper in years to come, especially given the fact that he’s homegrown, but I don’t necessarily think that he will ever become City’s number one.
What is his main strength as a player?
It may not be surprising, having been coached by Guardiola for the past season, but Gunn’s footwork is superb. With him being young, Guardiola has had the chance to mould him into the player that he wants him to be. Even though he hasn’t been given the chance to show that at City, his performances for England U21s have been exemplar. It will be interesting to see whether Gunn has the ball at his feet much next season or if Norwich take a more traditional approach.
What is his main weakness?
Having not made too many performances as of yet, it is hard to pinpoint his main weakness. However, based on watching him last pre-season, I would have to say it’s his leadership. I’m quite sure he has the experience to command a defence and organise a defence yet but I’m sure that an ability like that will grow with experience, which is exactly the purpose of this loan move.
If Norwich were to sign him permanently, how much would you want?
If Norwich were to sign him at the end of his loan spell, it would be entirely dependent on his performances during the season. Hypothetically, if Norwich were to buy him now, I think we’d be looking for a fee in the region of £1.5m-£2.5m. City usually sell players for less than they are worth but I’m almost certain, given his potential, that City would included a buy-back clause should any deal come to fruition.
I’d like to thank Jack for taking the time to answer my questions!