Norwich’s January window was loved by many fans of the club. The arrivals of Timm Klose, Ivo Pinto and Steven Naismith sparked Norwich fans into life as they started to believe survival was attainable.
However, there was one signing that just about slipped under the radar. Norwich fans were glued to their Twitter feeds late on deadline day at the end of the winter window after former Chief Executive David McNally released this tweet.
We are trying to complete another one with an eye to the future. Given the time though, this one is touch and go…. (2/2) — david mcnally (@davidmcnally62)
There was a build-up of anticipation among Norwich supporters as they tried to decipher just who it could be. Then…
TRANSFER NEWS | #ncfc sign @Coventry_City midfielder James Maddison, subject to approval: https://t.co/DvlnCzx0fs pic.twitter.com/HyAD2U8Tpt — Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC)
James Maddison. Norwich City secured the services of the midfielder from Coventry for a fee rumoured to start at around £2.5m, with add-ons that could inflate the price in the future.
Liverpool and Tottenham were thought to be the favorites to land his signature, but somehow Norwich managed to swoop in and convince the young prospect to join the Canaries. Maddison was loaned back to Coventry until the end of the season.
Now, we are at the junction between the season gone and the season ahead – the time for players to make their impressions on the manager to stake their claim for a spot. Maddison will be one of the players fighting for a place in the squad.
With Norwich relegated to the Championship, it would be an ideal time to blood some of the younger players into the squad and hand them their chance to shine. Josh and Jacob Murphy, Harry Toffolo and, of course, James Maddison. The 19-year-old is yet to feature in the Championship so far in his career, with all of his senior appearances coming in League One.
Maddison burst onto the scene with Coventry in the 2014/15 season, playing 18 times in all competitions, scoring twice. The season just gone Maddison played 13 times, scoring twice, before signing for Norwich in January. He then finished the season playing another 11 matches, scoring one more. His senior career so far has amassed 42 League One appearances and five goals, which isn’t bad for a teenage attacking midfielder at all.
The diminutive playmaker is adept at both scoring and creating goals, making him an asset in every attacking sense. Attacking midfielders are a rare breed these days, finding a consistent and effective one is seldom easy. Norwich already struck gold once in the form of Wes Hoolahan. The Irishman, and Norwich hall-of-famer, has been at the club for eight years and built an incredible reputation for himself at the club.
Hoolahan has been an influential figure in all that has gone well for Norwich in the last eight years… and is still pulling the strings for Norwich at 34-years-old. Yet, with an impending 46 game haul in the Championship – is Wes going to be able to cope? Norwich are not particularly blessed with attacking options in that area, especially with the future of Steven Naismith looking uncertain after relegation. So, can Maddison fill the gap?
Wes is sure to still be playing a part next season, but he will need cover/someone to rotate with to cope with the demand of the Championship fixtures. Alex Neil has spoken before about Wes not being able to play Saturday/Tuesday – could Maddison be the Tuesday fixture player? With so many midweek games in the second tier, Maddison is sure to get a number of chances to impress Neil.
But, can Maddison be the heir to Wes’ throne? Well, I think he has what it takes. One reason why is his ability to glide past players with ease. I’ve watched a lot of clips of him, and some live games, since he signed and one thing I have noticed is his balance. He has that low centre of gravity that enables him to keep his composure on the ball and drift inside and out of challenges, retaining the ball. This is something we have all seen Wes do over the years, one of the reasons we all love him so much. This could also be a reason why we could begin to like Maddison too.
Another thing I really like about Maddison is his eye for goal. A big criticism of Wes for Norwich has been his lack of goals. The Irishman doesn’t pop up with quite as many goals as you would like for a player in his position, but Maddison is showing all the signs of becoming a good goalscorer from midfield. He has a fantastic right foot and is capable of scoring great goals, something Norwich have lacked a lot in recent seasons. With the possibility of playing alongside players like Nathan Redmond and Robbie Brady, Maddison will get good service, meaning he will have ample opportunity to show off his wand of a right foot.
Also, he can use both feet. Something Wes has always been less than comfortable using has been his right foot (as a left footer), however Maddison looks just as capable using either foot. He reminds me of Everton’s Ross Barkley in this respect, being able to shift the ball to either side of his body and trick defenders to get the ball past them. He isn’t perfect on his weaker foot, not many are at 19, but he is showing very promising signs for the future if he can continue to use his weaker side and make it stronger.
There are also drawbacks to Maddison as it stands. As he is only 19 – he isn’t the finished article, far from it. He has so much more learning to do, which isn’t a bad thing. He needs to work on his consistency, as most teenagers do. That usually comes with experience, so Alex Neil needs to give him chances next season to get games under his belt and get used to his surroundings at Carrow Road. Give him time to get on the same wavelength as his teammates.
With Wes coming towards the end of his career, who better is there to show Maddison the ropes? I think that the Irishman could be the perfect mentor for Maddison, nurturing him and helping him to fulfill his evident potential with the Canaries, readying him to take his place on the throne…
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