Transfer Rumours Rumours, goss 'n tosh - Jan 2020

From the Telegraph:

Norwich City
Will they be busy?Rock bottom and six points from safety, Norwich might have to roll the dice if they are serious about staying in the Premier League. Their summer spend of £3.75m suggests a cautious approach is more likely, however. Norwich could view Sean Dyche's Burnley, who were relegated in 2015 but bounced back under the same manager on a shoestring budget, as a realistic blueprint. Their early season injury crisis has also abated.

Ideal signing: Norwich have conceded 40 goals in 20 Premier League games, and are still relying on Grant Hanley at centre-back. Have been linked with a loan move for young Chelsea defender Marc Guehi, who is a youth international team-mate of Max Aarons and Todd Cantwell.

Any outgoings? Norwich have pledged to keep their best talent, but Cantwell, Aarons and Jamal Lewis will attract admirers.

 

I hereby declare our war-chest officially open for business

 

Woof woof

 

Prepare for swoops!

If Roberts is leaving for Boro, as has been reported, then we will need another wide AM, though not necessarily a winger. I'd love to sign Bowen, but I doubt we can afford him. I'd also like to see a loan to cover for Klose at CB.

 

Idah off on loan to Doncaster, I gather.

 

Good move for him, hopefully. He need some first team football.

 

Shows what little the people that write this know. We aren't going to roll the dice and we've hardly being relying on Hanley, if only. Best talent list is missing probably our best talent, Godfrey, and all of those listed still have major flaws to their game. What they have got right is that our medium term plan is based on the Burnley model

 

Rocky Bushiri returns to Norwich City as loan spell with Blackpool is cut short

https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/...-spell-with-blackpool-is-cut-short-1-10178697

 

I think a touch harsh on the writer. He asks the question of whether we'll be busy, quite rightly highlights our current predicament and reasonably suggests that to stay up it probably requires the roll of dice to give us a lift. But concludes on previous evidence i.e. our miserly summer spend that continued is more likely.
I'm not sure the Burnley analogy is fully right either. He suggests that following their relegation they got promoted again on a shoe string. Actually Burnley spent/invested a small fortune following relegation to as much as possible ensure a stronger squad with a high chance of promotion. We might well do this too, though their are plenty of sceptics in our ranks who suspect the money will disappear.
Whilst Godfrey does seem a silly omision, that is likely due to his injury and absence from the team sheet. A poor miss none the less.

Bah!

 

Adios Patrick

 

Yes which says to me that the writer has a little knowledge, but not a lot.

 

Well that would certainly finish our chances this year. Would he want to be back-up for Kane? Can't see it happening.

 

I think the Telegraph comment about "still relying on Hanley" is accurate too. The general view in the summer was that, if Klose stayed, Hanley should be moved on. So I think the writer is suggesting that we missed a trick by not replacing him. He wasn't a mainstay of our Championship-winning season and is ill-suited to our style of football, yet we are reduced to playing him.
As regards Godfrey, the question is not whether he is an emerging talent, but whether anyone would be likely to shell out a considerable sum for him in this current transfer window. Again I think the Telegraph writer is correct in his assessment that the answer to that is "No". Lewis, Aarons and Cantwell are all reasonable buys for a club needing to immediately improve their starting eleven; at the moment Godfrey isn't.

 

I must be in the dissenting faction on Hanley, who I think has done well since coming back. No, he isn't perfectly suited to our style of football, but he has worked hard to improve that and adjust his play accordingly. He's a good club captain and leader on the pitch and a reasonable option as fourth CB. He made several vital tackles and held his ground well against both Spurs and Palace. It would be good to get another CB on loan to cover for Klose, but it will also be difficult for any new player to simply walk into the starting lineup.

 

"A reasonable option as fourth CB" yes, because you don't expect your fourth choice CB to make more than a handful of appearances in the season. Ill luck with injuries has meant, as the Telegraph writer said, that we are having to rely on him to a far greater extent than that. You can't fault GH for attitude or commitment, but that's not the issue.

 

I fully agree and my general feeling is that we've played better when he's been in the team. How much better would Godfrey have been this season if he been regularly playing along side Hanley or Zimmermann, unfortunately we'll never know. I also think we are stronger at defending set pieces when he's in the team. I'd rather Klose left than Hanley.

 

Really I don't think there's many teams in the PL that would consider buying them to strengthen there starting 11. Most of there value is what they can offer in the future rather than now.

 

I actually think Hanley has done very well in the last 2 games, caught out of position a couple of times, but he has also been dominant in the air which is something we have been missing at times