City boss Peter Grant finally got his man this afternoon when Celtic keeper David Marshall was confirmed as his fifth capture of this increasingly hectic summer, putting pen to paper on a three year deal.
It ends the long chase for Marshall ? who, realistically, has always been Grant's first choice to be City's No 1 ? and he will be a relieved man that the 22-year-old Bhoys stopper has signed on the dotted line; the fee is undisclosed, but thought to be in the region of ?750,000.
Despite being linked with a number of more than able keepers – Danny Coyne, Neil Alexander and Tony Warner to name just a few ? it was always the 6ft 3 Scotland international he had his eye on.
His loan spell last season was cruelly cut short after suffering an ankle injury in the FA Cup tie at Chelsea, but ? despite making only five appearances ? the City chief had seen enough.
With Rochdale's Matthew Gilks having also recently joined the Grant revolution, the goalkeeping department now looks strong, with Joe Lewis still waiting patiently in the wings, adding further competition for the No 1 jersey.
All of which leaves Paul Gallacher facing a very bleak Carrow Road future; it would certainly be a big surprise to see him still with the Canaries after the transfer window shuts on August 31st.
But all eyes will now be on Marshall and to whether he can become a permanent fixture in Norfolk for years to come.
Grant has always stated he wants someone here for the long haul, someone who can string together 600, maybe 700 appearances in the yellow and green, someone of the Gunn or Keelan ilk perhaps.
And at the age of 22, Marshall fits the bill perfectly; ironically, the two City goalkeeping legends mentioned above both made their Canary debuts at that very same age.
“I think in Norwich's top five players there are two goalkeepers in there, with 400-odd and 600 appearances or something,” Grant said, after the end of season finale in Sheffield two months ago.
“That is what goalkeepers used to be and I need to get back to somebody with that quality.”
Fingers crossed, Marshall will prove to be just the man.
Plenty more reaction to follow?
Leave a Reply