City’s Academy has rightfully received a lot of praise over recent years for the number of young talents nurtured into first-team footballers, such as the obvious ones like Ben Godfrey, Max Aarons and Todd Cantwell.
In this article, I’ll be taking a look at the next generation of prospects to come through at City, and give you five players who I’ll be keeping a close eye on.
* I’ll only be taking players listed in the Under-23s on the club website, meaning the likes of Jonathan Rowe, Bali Mumba and Josh Martin miss out.
Jonathan Tomkinson
Jon Tomkinson’s a centre-back and captain of City’s Under-23 side. He joined in 2019 after originally trialling for Ipswich Town, but made the decision to cross the border and play in yellow and green. A mainstay in City’s ‘reserves’, Tomkinson’s played 22 games this season racking up some very impressive stats – an 87% pass completion percentage, 73% success rate in aerial duels and three goals.
You may recognise Tomkinson’s name from featuring in a number of first-team squads this year. It’s clear he’s in Norwich’s plans over coming years, with the American signing a new contract earlier this year. One to keep an eye on, for sure.
Flynn Clarke
Flynn Clarke joined Norwich in the summer of 2021 for an undisclosed fee from Peterborough United, his hometown club. Clarke joined the Posh setup at the age of nine, signing his first professional contract at 17.
Last season, he scored three goals in 11 games for Peterborough’s first team before making the move east. He ended the Premier League 2 Division 2 in fine form, scoring four goals in his last four games. The midfielder is certainly one to watch for Canaries fans, no doubt venturing into the first-team reckoning before too long.
Rocky Bushiri
Rocky joined City in 2019, after impressing for Belgium Under-21s and KV Oostende. He’s yet to make a first-team appearance for Norwich, but following several loan spells, Bushiri is highly rated among Norwich fans.
Currently, Rocky is out on loan at Hibernian, who have an option to buy the Belgian, but it’s looking unlikely, despite his positive performances in Scotland. If he does stay, Rocky will prove to be a useful player for City’s Under-23 side, and perhaps push for a first-team place over the coming seasons.
Thomas Dickson-Peters
TDP has had an excellent season in Alan Neilson’s Under-23s side, earning him a new contract and a loan move out to Gillingham. He’s always been a promising goalscorer, scoring 14 goals for Norwich’s academy last season, and notching up 13 goals and six assists in the first half of this season before being loaned out to League one, making his first appearance against Ipswich.
He’s made nine appearances since January, not managing to make any goal contributions so far. I expect the 19-year-old to have another loan move out next year, where he’ll hopefully be able to make an impact.
Abu Kamara
Abu Kamara is one of the most promising players in Norwich’s academy. At only 18, he’s finished this season as the Premier League 2 Division 2 top scorer, with 15 goals. Deadly from the penalty spot, Kamara’s got a 100% record this season from 12 yards.
The young striker has made 24 key passes over this campaign, getting four assists and being the focal point in attack. Interestingly, despite being from London, Abu has been at the club for a number of years, joining the Under-11s.
So, they’re my top five picks from Norwich’s Under-23s. Obviously, the likes of Jonathan Rowe, Andrew Omobamidele and co, would’ve been in here but they’re listed as being in the first team – despite the former making 17 under-23 appearances this season.
Let me know who you’re excited about seeing progress.
What about the kid Gibbs.Everyone seems to think he has the ability to go far
I really like Liam Gibbs. The reason I’ve not included him on this list is because I think he’s just behind Flynn Clarke in the pecking order, but still one to look out for in the future.
Tony Springett springs to mind = he’s already made the first team bench and I’ve heard some really good reports about him.
Tony’s a really good talent. He was one of those just on the verge of making this this list. Really highly rated in Ireland, along with Josh Giurgi.
Notable that no DM features here. Liam Gibbs has been played deeper but against his instinct’s. Dan Adshead and Reece McAlear are the nearest we have to true DMs though Reece is due to leave this summer unless he gets a late contract renewal offer to compete with the flurry of interest north of the border.
City’s recruitment team should focus on the DM position, not glamorous but absolutely essential.
I agree. However, I would argue that Jacob Sorenson is a really promising young defensive midfielder that I hope we build around over the next few years. He’s really impressed me every time he’s played.
Jamie;
Isn’t it amazing how many NCFC supporters think the same about Lunghi…..
A shame that those in power don’t feel the same way, unless he just doesn’t do it at Colney!
O T B C
Totally agree, though not an u23!
Great to see an update on U23 players
Thank you
Having watched a few U23 games, the inclusion of Karmara really surprised me, not impressed me at all, admit never saw him score at all. Picked the wrong games. the last game against Wolves, he looked disinterested, little lazy perhap might be harsh, but definatley asleep as he was caught offside more than I could count. Clarke impressed along with Tomlinson
From what I’ve seen of Kamara, he’s a real poacher. He’s an incredible athlete, and always has a knack of being in the right place at the right time – not to mention the incredible penalty record. A little more game intelligence and he’ll be a real prospect, but he finished top scorer in the division so it was impossible not to include him.
Clarke and Tomkinson definitely my top 2 from the u23s, also.
Jamie,
Delighted to see some Academy coverage, but can I ask how many U23 games have you seen this season?
And what exactly is it about Bushiri’s progress that makes you think he has any future at NCFC?
Thanks
Hi R M,
This season I’ve only managed to get to 6 u23s games in person – the downsides to supporting City from up North – but watched numerous more on the club’s YouTube channel and PPV through opposition platforms.
One of the games that I’ve went to this season was Newcastle away, where Rocky played the majority of the game following a return from injury and looked really solid. My dad’s a Hibernian fan, so I’ve always kept track of their progress and watched them whenever I can, and Bushiri’s always stood out for Hibs. Playing in Scotland’s really improved him physically, a trait that’s oh-so important in the Championship.