Norwich City supporters have praised the club this summer for splashing the cash to sign a proven Championship star in the form of Andre Brooks.
The Canaries paid an initial fee of £8m to sign the Jamaica international from Sheffield United earlier this summer to bolster their options on the right flank.
Rather than looking further afield to take a risk on a player with no prior experience in the division, Ben Knapper and Philippe Clement have signed a forward who can be expected to hit the ground running.
Andre Brooks is a slam dunk signing for Norwich
Brooks is a slam dunk signing for the Yellows because he knows the league, has proven that he has the physicality and endurance to compete, and still has time to improve at the age of 22.
Of course, injuries can happen and he may end up failing to live up to the hype at Carrow Road, but even wide open alley-oop slam dunks rim out and fly off on rare occasions.
On paper, the left-footed forward looks like an almost guaranteed success for the club, and his two pre-season outings only reinforced that belief, as he impressed against St Gallen and Osasuna.
Whereas, a player coming in from a foreign league with no prior experience of the division and culture may take more time to adapt and be a riskier addition.
Norwich hit the jackpot with English forward
Norwich have, however, shown that they can uncover gems who are not already proven in the Championship. Jovon Makama is a prime example of that.
The Canaries swooped in to sign him from League One side Lincoln last year under Liam Manning, and he was valued at just €400k by Transfermarkt at the time of the move.
He was initially signed to be a back-up option for Manning, with Mathias Kvistgaarden, Ante Crnac, and Josh Sargent ahead of him, but he quickly made himself an important player for Norwich.
After being forced out onto the right wing under Manning, Makama ended up being Clement’s first-choice centre-forward and ended the season with 13 goals in 31 matches in all competitions.
His market value on Transfermarkt has soared to €8m as a result of his impressive performances last season for Norwich after making the step up from League One, a 1,900% increase on what his value was at the time of the move.
That means that he is currently worth even more than Brooks, who is valued at €6m by Transfermarkt, and shows that Knapper does not have to sign proven Championship performers to make successful signings.
Of course, it is ideal to have a blend of signings from different leagues and to take risks with some signings and less of a risk with others, but Makama is proof that it is worth investing in young players stepping up from the lower leagues, as the Canaries hit the jackpot with him.
Hopefully, the English forward will continue to impress this season, after returning from his injury, and will continue to grow in value in the months and years to come.
The Yellows were linked with a move for Lorent Tolaj from League One earlier this summer, but he went to Bristol City instead, and he could have followed in Makama’s footsteps…
