Wolves have entered the competition to recruit Norwich City’s Josh Sargent for the summer.The Premier League team has reportedly begun making plans for the upcoming season and has identified the American international as a possible target, according to Give Me Sport.
Though they have already signed Club Brugge striker Igor Thiago, the Bees will likely need another attacker this summer to replace Ivan Toney, thus Brentford will compete with them for his signature.
Wolves have entered the competition to recruit Norwich City’s Josh Sargent for the summer.
The Premier League team has reportedly begun making plans for the upcoming season and has identified the American international as a possible target, according to Give Me Sport.
Though they have already signed Club Brugge striker Igor Thiago, the Bees will likely need another attacker this summer to replace Ivan Toney, thus Brentford will compete with them for his signature.
The 24-year-old has scored 13 goals in 18 Championship games, although his availability was limited for much of the season due to an ankle injury he sustained in August. He only fully recovered at the end of December, and since then, he has been on a man-on-a-mission.
Sargent is the Canaries’ top scorer as they aim to qualify for the playoffs at the end of the 2023–2024 campaign, although the American might potentially attract attention from the Premier League due to growing interest in him.
Here, we inquire whether to whether the Norfolk team should profit from Sargent this summer given Premier League interest from our FLW writers.
What happens with Sargent in the future might depend on Norwich’s performance in their quest for Premier League promotion.
A sale will be quite unlikely if David Wagner can lead the team to the championship, since that will greatly increase their chances of retaining their star player.
However, Sargent’s injury problems may end up costing them in their pursuit of the top six, as the team truly found it difficult to perform consistently without him during the first half of the campaign.
Even if Norwich stays in the Championship, they will want to hold onto Sargent for that summer due to the period of time without him. However, Sargent may find the pull of playing in the Premier League too great to resist.
Given that the forward is committed to Carrow Road through 2028, the Canaries do have a significant advantage in any negotiations.
Thus, if the team stays in the Championship, it might take up to £20–25 million to persuade them to sell this summer.
Given his value to the team and his goals per game record this season, Norwich should definitely resist paying anything less for him. He is undoubtedly prepared for the return to the top flight.
The only striker in the league with more goals scored than Sargent is Adam Armstrong, who has also played in 18 more games. Sargent’s form has garnered attention in a season where offensive midfielders and wingers have been more prominent in terms of goal scoring.
It’s crucial to remember, though, that Sargent has changed significantly from his Premier League appearances for Norwich the previous two seasons.
Teemu Pukki was still the Canaries’ top scorer, thus Sargent found it difficult to get regular playing time as a center forward and was frequently moved to the right flank, a position that wasn’t ideal for the American.
Similar circumstances existed in the Championship the previous season as well, but a 13-goal haul indicated the presence of a top attacker, which he has further demonstrated this season.
It comes as no surprise that teams like Brentford and Wolves are showing interest in Sargent right now, although Wolves’ zeal may be stronger given their lack of true top-tier options.
Although Norwich did secure bank funding for Max Aarons, Andrew Omobamidele, and Milot Rashica in the months after the end of the fiscal year, they did incur a pre-tax loss of £27.3 million for the previous season, which also included parachute payments. If they are not promoted back to the top flight, Norwich may regrettably need to cash in on an asset.
If Norwich can finish in the top six, the play-offs will be as competitive as ever; if not, Sargent may be one of the players they just need to take offers for.
Although Norwich should take no less than £20 million for the attacking master, they should consider what other Championship strikers have gone for in recent years.
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