So… what impact will City’s transfer window business (so far) have on what happens between now and May? I’m as optimistic as ever, and I think it means survival! Maybe even better.
I’ve analysed each of the signings so far, and below are my thoughts and a few pros. Do you agree with my transfer ratings?
Matt Jarvis
Luckily we’ve already had a good taste of what Jarvis can serve this season. And I have an apology to make.
On Matt’s arrival in September I was perplexed as to why we were signing him, however now I completely get it. And I pledge to never question Alex Neil’s judgement again!
Unfortunately as we all know, Jarvis has been injured but now he’s back at full fitness he’ll offer a good challenge to what seems to be an inconsistent Nathan Redmond this season.
He’s quick, direct and shows no fear and is exactly the type of player we all want to play in yellow. I’m sorry Mr Jarvis!
My transfer rating 8/10
Ivo Pinto
City have signed a player of superb technical ability here. He’s very fast and generally switched on, and it means life promises to be a lot more difficult against our back-four from now on.
Another thing I like about Ivo is that he’s gone against his own father’s word to play in yellow. We all know he played up to the cameras at Colney, but this player appears to have some serious passion to do well here.
With Champions League experience on his CV, he will instantly help him in this league; most valuably against Arsenal. For those who haven’t seen the video of him running over half the length of the pitch to tackle Arsenal’s extremely pacy HéctorBellerin – I recommend you check it out.
My transfer rating 8/10
Ben Godfrey
A handful of Norwich supporters have criticised the signing of Godfrey.
But before you do, it’s important to consider that first and foremost, the club have offered a talented English youngster a platform to develop into the player that he is capable of being. The transfer market is not what is used to be, and is rapidly developing into a system that will make English ‘home grown’ players very valuable in years to come.
On the other hand though, I can understand the frustrations of some, especially after Louis Thompson’s excellent last pre-season campaign and some impressive under-21 performances from Connor McGrandles.
But rest assured, the future looks bright for Norwich City. Ben has got Alex Neil’s blessing and that’s good enough for me.
My transfer rating 6/10
Timm Klose
This signing shows real ambition and is something we’ve wanted from our club for a long time. I’m very impressed City have managed to acquire Timm’s services.
Much like Pinto, his Champions League experience is a tell-tale sign that this is a good move. Klose, for this reason, should be a perfectly good match for the rapid Premier League strikers.
I’m not going to pretend I’m a German football expert but according to journalists who are, Klose is nimble, great in the air and calm on the ball. He is also rated highly by former Premier League player Andre Shurrle, who now plies his trade at Wolfsburg.
Timm Klose ranks fourth in the top pass completion rates in the Bundesliga this season and therefore if he’s able to maintain that form, it can only help our sometimes nervous defence.
The signing of Klose does of course come with the risk of him not having played Premier League football before but I’ve got a feeling this could be one of City’s best signings in a long time.
My transfer rating 8/10
Steven Naismith
Credit where credit is due – City’s recruitment team have done a fantastic job of getting this deal over the line. It always feels better when you beat other clubs to a signing. Especially in the same league.
Seeing this deal from an Evertonian blue point of view is very sweet viewing too. Naismith is highly regarded by many Toffees fans and is viewed as one of the best finishers their club has had in the last few years.
The amount of endorsement Steven received when City finally made his transfer official sums up just how good he is.
These endorsements included his previous boss Roberto Martinez, various writers in the national media, our very own Mick Dennis and even Stan Collymore. Yes, Stan Collymore complemented our transfer business!
This says a lot about the quality of player we’ve got our hands on here. Also, a massive bonus for the Canaries is that Naismith will be able to hit the ground not just running, but sprinting. His Premier League experience alone is definitely worth the fee we paid.
Steven has called himself a ‘grafter, not a star’ and I’m excited to see him in yellow for this reason. This man works hard and pretty much guarantees goals.
My transfer rating 9/10
Of course, surviving in this league is easier said than done. But, in my eyes, the players we’ve purchased this January will not only bolster our squad, but will ensure we stay in the top flight. We’ve made a big statement to our relegation rivals..
And who knows, there might well be more players arriving through the gates of Colney before the end of this window.
What are your thoughts on Norwich City’s January transfer business? Comment below or feel free to ask questions on Twitter by tagging @NorwichCityMFW and @ChrisReevo.
On The Ball, City!
Nice stuff, Chris, reflecting the excitement that most of us feel.
Pinto and Klose are of course new to the Premier League; we should make some initial allowances. And of course we must acknowledge those saying ‘remember van Wolfswinkel and Hooper’. But this is a different situation, especially with Naismith. He’s Prem-savvy and will clearly bring us a new impetus.
You might say that Naismith’s signing is the ultimate sign of lessons learned from RvW.
Can’t disagree with anything here. Re Ben Godfrey, ny only gripe was the timing of the announcement: we didn’t have Klose or Naismith at that point and the cynic in some of us thought whoops – priorities wrong (again)! And the cynics (me included) were wrong. Looking forward to Saturday more than in a long time.
A.N has addressed the problems we have had at right back and centre half and Steven Naismith provides the movement and finishing ability we have been missing up front. When Jarvis was available we were better with him than without. I know nothing about Godfrey but I do like the idea of spotting talent and developing it. We now have to see how the squad settles but on the face of it we will be a stronger team at the end of January than the beginning.
Little generous in those ratings for me – maybe 7s rather than 8s and an 8 for Naismith but as good a window as could have been hoped for.
Would still be nice to see a Murphy, Loza or Toffolo get a sniff of action but ain’t going to happen.
Chris, you worry me. Having admitted you got it wrong about Jarvis you give Pinto, Klose and Naismith 8 or 9 before you’ve seen them play. I wish you’d gone for 3 or 4….
Seriously though I like the signings we’ve made. I don’t put too much store by Champions League appearances (Thomas Helveg had those) but I get the impression we’ve done our homework and signed 4 players (including Jarvis) who are around the peak point of their careers.
How quickly they can integrate remains to be seen, but having a Saturday off shortly will help.
On the face of it we took half the points we need to survive in half the games, so you would think we should more than beat that inn he second half with an improved squad. Except that we’ve already played 3 of those games, none of them being against the very big clubs. And we are unlikely to get free points from those big clubs, in the way we did at Old Trafford, as we get to the business end of the season.
I still think we need an out-and-out goal scorer. I don’t think Naismith is quite that. I wonder when we last had a striker who scored in 3 or 4 games in a row in the Premier League. Did Grant Holt manage that? We can survive this season without one, but long-term for me that is the biggest issue. I like Jerome and Mbokani but neither really show signs of getting into a hot streak of form.
A week ago I was wondering if we would have a look at Conor Washington, but obviously that’s not going to happen.
Like your assessments Chris.
A N beginning to build his squad for the longer term here. Some of our stalwarts, Russ, Wes, Whitts, will be thinking maybe time to move aside/on. We have some value in our younger players eg; Toffolo,Murphy boys,Thompson, Loza,Morris, etc. Ben Godfrey makes absolute sense and I like AN’s longer-term view. Not sure I’ve been this excited about 2 new defensive players before. I really like the fact that all have a point to prove even Steven Naismith will want to show Martinez that he was wrong to drop him. City 1-0 Liverpool Naismith in the 92nd minute, how good would that be.
You certainly seem happy with the business we’ve conducted, Chris. Individually they all look like good signings (Godfrey is an unknown quantity and will presumably remain that for some time).
Naismith is a bit of an odd one. It’s a lot to pay for someone his age who hasn’t been playing much for quite a while. Many would’ve preferred another out-and-out goal-getter, given that we’ve lost Grabban and Hooper and that Lafferty doesn’t look like getting near the first team. That leaves Jerome and Mbokani and, while the latter has looked good at times he hasn’t completely convinced; and we all know Jerome blows hot and cold, shall we say.
It may be that a player like that will still arrive in the next (nearly) two weeks, but a shortage of goals isn’t necessarily fixed by throwing centre-forwards at the team. Having the players behind them to create chances is just as important, which is why Naismith could turn out to be a key signing. On that basis, I just hope we don’t see him as the sole solution to the scoring problem and play him out of position up front. That would seem unlikely, though, and the chances are that he’ll slot in nicely playing off a striker. He’s a player of real quality and could make all the difference.
I don’t know much about the Bundesliga myself, but Klose could be a great signing. He’s a centre-half. Hallelujah! My only concern is that he didn’t play a huge number of games for Wolfsburg over the last two seasons; but then if he’d been a nailed down regular we wouldn’t have been able to sign him.
I’m one of many that Ben (7) refers to in preferring, or at least wanting, an out-and-out goal-getter. But the reality of course is that to find one guaranteed to produce regularly in the Premier League you are looking at double what we paid for Naismith and wages to match.
Hooper and Grabban departing doesn’t worry me – both only score freely at Championship level or similar, and Lafferty doesn’t even do that, which is presumably why there isn’t a long queue for his services.
A couple of concerns
Matt Jarvis has a really poor injury record.
Pinto excellent going forwards but there are doubts about his defending
Godfrey Another young English player who really should have stayed where he was and got another 50 games under his belt before the BIG move
Klose looks like an excellent signing but it would be a shame if Bennett is dropped as he gets better every week. I’d play the three at the back with Brady and Pinto on either side as both are excellent at going forwards.
Naismith will work really well with Mbokani whose hold up lay is improving week on week