Norwich City suffered a massive blow earlier this month when it was confirmed that winger Ali Ahmed is set for a significant spell on the sidelines with an ACL injury.
The Canada international went down injured in the 2-1 defeat to Osasuna at Carrow Road at the end of the month, and the worst possible outcome was later confirmed by the club.
Ahmed, who joined the Canaries in January, now looks set to miss most, if not all, of the 2026/27 campaign with this devastating knee injury.
Why Norwich need to sign a winger
Ben Knapper and Philippe Clement now need to return to the market to sign a natural left-wing option to avoid a repeat of January when they had to go and sign Ahmed because of their struggles during the first half of the season.
The Canadian star was signed early on in the window because Papa Amadou Diallo struggled with injuries and it left Norwich without natural width and pace on the left, stagnating too many attacks.
Ahmed made an instant impact at Carrow Road with four goals and three assists in 16 starts for the Canaries, offering a threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
Now, Ahmed is out for a foreseeable future and Diallo is currently injured and did not play a minute of pre-season, after only starting six times in the Championship last season.
Norwich, therefore, need to look externally to find a new left winger to avoid facing the exact same problems that they had early on in Clement’s reign.
The free agent winger who could solve Norwich’s problem
Whilst some supporters are speaking about possible loans or permanent deals for a left winger, the free agent market would be an interesting avenue to go down.
There is a current free agent who could be the ideal replacement for Ahmed as a right-footed left winger who offers pace and creativity, and it is Ryan Kent.
The English forward, previously of Rangers, has been without a club since he left Seattle Sounders earlier this year, and would be available without paying a transfer fee.
It would be an incredibly risky bit of business for Norwich, given that he has not played since November 2025, but it would be a deal with a lot of upside.
The 29-year-old attacker scored 33 goals and provided 56 assists in 218 appearances for Rangers in all competitions during his time at Ibrox, leaving the club just a matter of months before Clement took over from Michael Beale.
Kent was a throwback winger for the Light Blues with his use of pace and direct play down the left to be a constant creative threat, although he was not particularly prolific as a scorer, and could be a very effective outlet for Norwich on the left wing.
It would take him time to get up to speed, of course, after such a long period without a club, but Ahmed may miss the entire campaign and Kent could be the perfect replacement in the mid-to-long-term this season.
