All’s still quiet on the Sky Sports breaking news ticker from a Canary point of view but you can just start to feel the anticipation and eagerness of who Alex Neil’s third summer signing is going to be. Deals for Hull’s winger, Robbie Brady, and Celta Vigo striker Joaquin Larrivey were at one stage almost nailed on to happen but both have somewhat fizzled out. Here, I’ll go through all the latest rumours behind the scenes at Carrow Road from the last few days.
POTENTIAL INS:
Joaquin Larrivey – Celta Vigo
The 30 year old striker looked all set to become a Canary towards the end of last week but the deal collapsed after Alex Neil met with the player and his agent and decided against completing the deal. It had been suggested that a fee was agreed of around £1.5 million and that Larrivey would sign a two-year deal. Larrivey’s agent has been reportedly quoted as saying, “There has not been any problem that may have lead to this. Nor has there been any change in the numbers of the operation. This is a total lack of seriousness, professionalism and ethics by Norwich.”
The deal appears dead in the water but while Larrivey would have been a welcome addition to our squad, there are definitely better options for Neil to explore.
How likely to sign – 1/10
Robbie Brady – Hull City
Larrivey’s deal wasn’t the first time that Norwich have been called unprofessional this summer with Hull manager, Steve Bruce, blasting us for undervaluing target Robbie Brady. Norwich. Having bid three different amounts between £2 and £3 million with all bids having been rejected so far, talks between the two clubs have stalled with Hull keen to get a respectable fee for a player who is heading into the last year of his contract. A Republic of Ireland international, Robbie Brady fits the bill as a player that would add quality to that left wing which is an area Norwich could do with strengthening. I think this deal will happen, it’s just a case of when both sides will agree on a fee.
How likely to sign – 9/10
Dwight Gayle – Crystal Palace
An exciting rumour that was reported in some of the national newspapers a couple of days ago was the possibility of Crystal Palace striker, Dwight Gayle, coming to Norwich City. Gayle is a lethal finisher when given the chance as a central striker but was often deployed out wide where he wasn’t as effective. He has the Premier League experience we need and needs to find a club where he will get a run of games in the team, something which he struggled to get at Palace. Having only scored 12 goals in 48 Premier League appearances, his goalscoring record is hardly prolific but I believe if we could pick him up for a reasonable fee that this could be a very good addition indeed.
How likely to sign – 7/10
Patrick Bamford – Chelsea
The Championship Player of the Year of last season scored 19 goals to help Middlesborough to the Play Off Final in what was a fantastic season for the England Under 21 international. It has been reported in the Daily Mail that Norwich have been linked with him and that a loan move is highly likely. The odds on us signing him have been slashed from 12/1 to 4/1 on sky bet today which means that an approach could be on the cards. With breaking into the first-team picture increasingly harder following the signing of Columbian Radamel Falcao and the already there, Diego Costa and Loic Remy, it is hard to see Bamford not leaving Chelsea this summer, albeit probably temporarily. A season long loan move would be fantastic for both Norwich and Chelsea because although he has never played at this level, if he can recapture the form the sort of form he displayed last season then he will prove to Chelsea that he can cut it among England’s elite.
How likely to sign – 8/10
POTENTIAL OUTS:
Carlton Morris – Hamilton
The young striker moved north of the border to Alex Neil’s old club Hamilton on loan. The deal could prove to be the first of many youth players set to spend time in Scotland with Alex Neil confirming that sending youth players to Hamilton was always a possibility.
How likely to move clubs – DEAL DONE
Ricky van Wolfswinkel
The Dutch striker looked almost certain to be joining up with his old club, Sporting Lisbon, last week with Norwich accepting a bid of around £3.5 million for the misfiring forward. However, talks stalled over the strikers wage demands and the deal appears to be off the table unless van Wolfswinkel reconsiders his demands. Van Wolfswinkel has since started pre-season training with Norwich under Alex Neil’s watchful eye but has not yet been involved in any friendly matches and his future remains unclear.
How likely to move clubs – 8/10
Apart from van Wolfswinkel, there is no obvious players that are set to leave the club this summer. If other players do leave, it will be because we receive a fantastic offer that we can’t turn down or if we sign a better calibre of player than we already have. With two big routs of 7-0 and 10-0 against Gorleston and Histon respectively, attention turns to Friday night’s unique game against Cambridge in which there will be four quarters of 30 minutes in a bid to increase fitness before City jet to Germany for a training camp. Summer’s only just started but it’s certainly hotting up.
