Norwich City Opinion: Jonny Williams would be a rather underwhelming signing for the Canaries
According to Wales Online, Norwich City have been credited with an interest in out-of-contract Crystal Palace midfielder Jonny Williams, with reports claiming that the 25-year-old Welshman has been offered to a host of Championship clubs.
Williams spent the second half of the last season on loan at Charlton Athletic in the third tier and played a key role for the Addicks, as Lee Bowyer’s side secured promotion to the Championship with a victory over Sunderland in the League One playoff finals.
The 25-year-old made 16 appearances in the League One for the Addicks but he is currently a free agent and that has already put some of the Championship clubs on red alert.
Wales Online understands that the Welsh international has attracted interest from the likes of Derby County and West Brom, whilst newly-promoted outfit Norwich City are prepared to offer him the chance to play in the Premier League next season.
A youth product of Cyrstal Palace, Jonny Williams was a key player for the Eagles back in their days in the Championship but he has found regular minutes hard to come by since the club’s promotion to the Premier League.
The highly-rated academy product made his first-team debut for Palace back in 2011 but he has only featured on 70 occasions for the Eagles in all competitions till date, spending time on loan at four different clubs in the Championship, including the likes of Nottingham Forest, MK Dons, Sunderland and Ipswich Town.
Lack of first-team involvement at Selhurst Park and frequent loan spells away from Palace haven’t worked in favour of his development. Once regarded as a promising youngster, Williams is yet to kick start his career and it is high time for him to complete a permanent move elsewhere.
He doesn’t fall in the bracket of a talented youngster any longer, and at 25, he needs to step up his game if he is really serious about making a name for himself in English football.
Williams have enjoyed a more fruitful time on the international front, though, featuring in the Wales side that reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Euro 2016. The 25-year-old has accumulated a total of 17 caps for Wales at the senior international level and he has been called up for international duty ahead of his nation’s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Croatia and Hungary.
To put things into perspective, Jonny Williams is certainly a talented player but Norwich City should search for better prospects in the market given that they are set to compete in the Premier League next term. Daniel Farke needs to bring in some quality players to bolster his ranks but Williams, though a really good attacking midfielder, doesn’t fit the bill at Carrow Road.
Norwich played one of the most attractive brands of football in the second-tier this past season and if the Canaries are really serious about bringing in new attacking players, they might as well look for some upgrades on their existing options. With Farke preferring a 4-2-3-1 system with two holding midfielders and a central attacking midfielder complemented by two wingers, Williams is unlikely to get too many first-team opportunities.
Marco Stiepermann played in the No.10 role for Norwich in teh Championship and the German did really well, meaning that Williams won’t be much of an upgrade on him. The Canaries also have the likes of Emiliano Buendia and Onel Hernandez in their ranks, so they can certainly do without signing the Welshman.
Agreed, Williams is a really stylish and creative player and he would be a good fit for Farke’s attacking philosophy, but one cannot help but feel that he is not ready to make the step up to the Premier League. There is a reason why Palace manager Roy Hodgson hasn’t considered him for a role in the Premier League, and while it won’t be much of a risk for Norwich to snap him up for free, the Canaries can hardly expect him to play a significant role for them in the top-flight next term.
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Hence, Norwich should start looking for a few upgrades in the market ahead of the upcoming season and they would be better off dropping their interest in Jonny Williams.
