- Norwich were interested in signing Glen Kamara in the January transfer window.
- Ben Knapper pivoted to Sam Field after Rennes turned down the club’s offer.
- Analysing whether or not Kamara fits the bill for the Canaries this summer.
Norwich City had to make a late splash in the January transfer window after an injury to Pelle Mattsson left Philippe Clement short of options in the middle of the park.
With Mirko Topic already out with an ACL injury, the Canaries needed to bring in a player to compete alongside Kenny McLean and Jacob Wright.
Ben Knapper eventually brought in Sam Field on loan from Queens Park Rangers, but it was Glen Kamara who was originally in their sights.
Norwich City’s interest in Glen Kamara
Norwich made an offer to sign the Finland international on loan until the end of the season with an option to make it permanent in the summer.
However, as Fabrizio Romano reported, Rennes rejected the offer and wanted to keep the central midfielder in their squad for the remainder of the season.
However, Rennes boss Habib Beye left shortly after the end of the winter window and was replaced by Franck Haise.
After that change in management, Kamara has been an unused in seven of the eight matchday squads that he has made under Haise, most recently sitting on the bench for a 4-2 defeat to Lyon earlier this month.
This suggests that Rennes may be more receptive to an approach from Norwich this summer, because their new head coach does not seem to be a fan of the ex-Rangers star.
Why Norwich may need a central midfield signing
Last month, Read Norwich suggested that it may not make sense for Sam Field to return on a permanent deal for multiple reasons.
One of those reasons was that he joined the club to play regular minutes after falling out of favour at QPR, but those minutes dried up after Mattsson returned from injury.
The English midfielder may be better off looking elsewhere, therefore, if he wants to be a regular starter in the Championship next season.
Another reason was that Mirko Topic is due to return from an ACL injury that he sustained against Oxford United in Clement’s second match in charge.
However, the Belgian boss recently revealed that the Serbian star is not due to return from his injury until the latter stage of pre-season.
This means that a new central midfield signing could be needed to ensure that the squad is not short of options in that position if Topic takes longer than expected to get up to speed.
Does Glen Kamara make sense for Norwich?
The Finnish star has only made four appearances in Ligue 1 this season for Rennes, so the prospect of even becoming a squad player at Carrow Road would be attractive compared to his current situation.
Kamara would also arrive in Norfolk with the British football experience that made Field an attractive target, as he played 193 games for Rangers and 42 matches for Leeds United.
The 30-year-old defensive midfielder, who came up through the ranks at Arsenal, is also used to playing in dominant teams, winning the Premiership with Rangers and making the play-off final in the Championship with Leeds.
In the 2023/24 Championship season, Kamara showcased his ability to be a midfield metronome for Daniel Farke’s Leeds team.
| 23/24 Championship | Kamara (Per 90) | Percentile Rank (vs. Midfielders) |
| Passes Attempted | 71.8 | Top 5% |
| Pass Completion % | 93.1% | Top 1% |
| Progressive Passes | 5.80 | Top 25% |
| Passes into Final Third | 6.45 | Top 15% |
Along with his progressive work in possession, the Finland international won 58% of his ground duels and 54% of his aerial duels in the Championship.
Kamara, therefore, is a heavily experienced star who also has exceptional quality on the ball and the physicality to deal with the battle of a Championship season.
Signing the former Leeds and Rangers maestro could make a lot of sense for Norwich as an experienced option to help bridge the gap until Jacob Wright is ready to take the reins as a regular starter.
Having Pelle Mattsson, Kenny McLean, Topic, Wright, and Kamara would give Clement a good blend of styles and age profiles to work with in the Championship next season.
However, it remains to be seen whether or not the Canaries retain an interest in the 30-year-old talent after failing to secure his services in January.
