In the spirit of looking forward (although I can’t promise we’ve yet concluded our look back at why it all went so wrong), on MFW today, we’ll be looking at the Club’s Under23s and the impressive season they have just had.
First up is a piece from Louis Woodrow, and this afternoon it will be Will Grant – both of them taking a look at our potential stars of the future…
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City’s Under-23s finished sixth in the Premier League 2 Division 2 this season and were rewarded with an opportunity to be promoted to the first division through playoffs, but crucially fell short against Wolves in the semi-finals last week.
City lost in the toughest way possible as they were defeated 5-4 on penalties to confirm they will remain in the division, but it’s a squad with some potential first-team talent throughout, some of whom will be looking to break through to the first-team in the Championship next season.
Making the bench in the Canaries’ most recent Premier League fixture at Wolves, Jonathan Tomkinson has been a fairly consistent starter at centre-back for the Under-23s this season and even captained the side earlier on in the campaign.
He may well be in the distant thoughts of Dean Smith for next season, although he already has four options in central defence – one being Andrew Omabamidele who only recently came through the youth system himself.
Nineteen-year-old midfielder Liam Gibbs has also played a key part in this season, making an appearance in 22 of 26 games for Alan Neilson’s side.
Gibbs joined the club Ipswich town in July of last year and will no doubt have one eye on the first team, with the departures of Lukas Rupp, Billy Gilmour and Mathias Normann leaving little to no squad depth in that area of the pitch.
Just Kenny McLean and Pierre Lees Melou remain in that out-and-out midfield role now in Smith’s squad, with the versatile Jacob Lungi Sorensen potentially filling in there.
This may leave room for new signings, or perhaps for an opportunity for someone like Gibbs.
Also starting in midfield in the Under-23s play-off semi-final was Daniel Adshead, who has spent the majority of the season injured on loan at Gillingham, so at the moment he may be slightly further from the first-team reckoning.
Two players City fans will be expecting to be a part of next season’s Championship squad will be wingers Jonathan Rowe and Tony Springett.
Rowe has made no less than 13 appearances off the bench for City this season and has often injected pace and creativity into the side late on. Although this has usually been meaningless as the side were often well behind by the time he made an appearance, Rowe will certainly be looking to make an impression and earn his first start for the Canaries.
He signed a deal in January of this year to keep him at the club until 2025 so he will more than likely be in the long-term thoughts of Dean Smith.
Springett has made a similar progression to the first team in recent weeks. He made his debut for City in the 4-0 home defeat to West Ham United, where he came on for Milot Rashica at halftime. He was also impressive away at Leicester’s King Power one week later.
Both Rowe and Springett scored penalties in the Wolves’ shootout and have staked their claims impressively in the later stages of this Premier League campaign. They will be looking to impress in pre-season in order to stay in the first-team picture.
Tyrese Omotoye scored the goal to level in the semi-final of the playoffs and has previously impressed for the Under-18s. He has spent this season on loan in League Two, beginning the campaign at Leyton Orient but started just four games at the London club, and so made the move to Carlisle where he also struggled for goals.
Omotoye has made senior appearances for Norwich City towards the back end of the 2020-21 Championship title-winning season but, should he remain at the club, may struggle to find his way into the squad with competition from Adam Idah, Josh Sargent and Teemu Pukki.
Smith will almost certainly be looking to the transfer market to improve his squad this summer, but a number of Under-23s will certainly be knocking on the door of first-team football, having already shown off their capabilities.
Flynn Clarke missed the vital penalty against Wolves but had a hot scoring streak towards the end of the season from the number 10 position. He is another in the same mould as the other forwards. The problem they all have is that they were recruited to be DF players: skilful, neat, tidy but not great physique. None is the midfield powerhouse we so desperately need.
There needs to be a reset in recruitment at youth level with as much emphasis on the physically powerful midfielders as the creative ball players.
If the current “model” is ever going to work, it is through developing our own; remember that transfer fees are not a measure of ambition, they are a measure of Academy failure.
Thank you Louis for reminding me we do have some things to look forward to next season.
Is now the time to keep a few more in the building so they can be options here?
So many of our loans seem to be a waste of time and money, Omotoye being a prime example.
What happened to the lad from Bolton,Riley?
Hi Tonyb
Matthew Dennis from Arsenal is another one I’d ask the same question about.
He’s been on loan at a low level and is still on our books but I think, like Riley, great things were expected of him on his arrival.
Young striker Kenny Coker from Southend is another one in the same category.
Regan Riley seems to have had a number of injuries, each long term. Shame. Coker has yet to take off in the u18s. Dennis is under review in preseason by DS and CS before a decision is made, DS said this at a pre match press conference . I gather from the non league press that there are offers for him around £250k plus £2k per week from clubs higher up the pyramid than Southend. This from Southend management team who said these figures were way beyond their budget. Another world!
Saffend isn’t that where Dennis is ? McLear was decent to me and what people who saw him up at Inverness, said .. Part of the family’s scottish clan .
It is a nasty business being a youngster trying to break through. Ask Oxborough..
Promoting young players has worked well in the past but this season things have gone badly wrong. Rowe looked a fantastic prospect at the start of the season was scoring in practically every game.He was brought into the first team squad much too early considering he was only just out of the U18s,his form went downhill due to lack of minutes.It’s not good for young players to be involved in the humiliations that the first team has been subjected to. This has led to Rowe dropping below Springett in the rankings. Both were included against Wolves but neither could make a difference.
The loan system is not working either, I wonder what Reece McAleer had to do to extend his contract, a great loan and some spectacular goals,he has improved so much that his manager was surprised that he wasn’t in the Scotland U21s.It would be a tragedy if Josh Martin didn’t make it and we seem to have completely forgotten about Matt Dennis.
Omotoye was last season’s Rowe and really impressed against Wolves. Let’s hope we can keep him here and give him the development he deserves.Same with Clarke Gibbs and Riley.
Lewis Shipley and Saxon Early could develop into useful players.
Totally agree re: McAlear. Andy Hughes must be tearing any hair left out! We know he has been in DS’s ear about the loanees. No idea whether they just think the Scottish Championship is too low a level, but Dennis has been in tier 5 in England and gets another look? I suppose with Reece’s contract expiring they thought too expensive to extend another couple of years? But he is only 20 and has the build required for the modern midfield three. Indeed, outside the first team squad, he was the ONLY midfielder on the books who looked the part in the men’s game. Still what do I know?
Given his performances for ICT, compared to what we continually saw from those “in possession”, it was a shame that he wasn’t IN the first team squad.
I think everyone should stop getting too excited. Yes, maybe one or two will break through, but our U23s were effectively the 18th best Cat One Academy side this season. The best teenagers are changing hands for tens of millions of pounds – ours aren’t in that league.
Blimey that’s a very negative take on things! Being 18th best cat one academy is not a poor achievement by any means. Not having the 10m teenagers is unsurprising given our location, those very best kids will get snapped up by the big clubs nearest them, but I genuinely think our recent productivity in producing a number of first team players and others that have gone onto play at a high level should be trumpeted. It’s one of the ongoing bright parts of the club.
I think it’s hugely positive that we have youngsters who were showing enough to get first team minutes in the PL. It will be exciting to see which of them can kick on next season.
I really hope Omobamidele can stay fit and live up to his promise because I thought he looked decent at PL level, the Championship with GH should be a doddle!
Some people just love the doom and gloom just to gloss over the few positives !
There is no doubt Louis that we have some promising youngsters at the club but I would be surprised if too many were ready for a Championship season.
But who knows, Daniel Farke certainly had faith in youth. I think our 2018/19 back row may have had the lowest average age in Norwich City history for a defence.
It is still funny to think most of those boys would have been playing with Lego and cuddly toys last time Ipswich beat us 😂
What I miss is those good old Friday night reserve games where you could spot a future star. It’s so sad those days are gone.
So in truth it is not just Delia who misses the “old days”😥