Steven Naismith deserves a new deal at Norwich City for his heroics at Hearts
According to the Daily Record, Steven Naismith, who is currently on loan at Scottish Premiership side Hearts from Championship outfit Norwich City, is weighing up a move to the MLS when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Naismith has been in blistering form for Hearts in the Scottish Premiership this term, accumulating 9 goals and 3 assists from 16 appearances. As a result of his fine performances, the former Everton and Rangers star has also been recalled to the national team squad.
The 32-year-old has spent time on loan at Hearts since the second half of last season after a knee ligament injury resulted in his slip down the pecking order at Carrow Road. However, Naismith has proved that he still has what it takes to play at the highest level, racking up 17 goals and 8 assists from 40 appearances for Hearts across all competitions.
It would be fair to say that a move to the MLS would end his career from a competitive point of view. Still only 32, Naismith is more than capable of delivering the goods and Norwich City should offer him a new contract to extend his stay in English football.
Despite being a bit compromised on his physical attributes, Naismith has been one of the brightest talents to have emerged from the Scottish Premiership in recent years. After a hugely successful spell at Rangers, Naismith went on to establish himself as one of the key players at Everton, scoring 26 goals and providing 12 assists from 123 appearances over the course of four seasons.
Known for his versatility to play as a No.10 and on either flank, Naismith is primarily a striker who has been used across multiple positions in the attacking third due to his well-rounded attributes. He is a shrewd customer with natural zeal and enthusiasm, whilst also having good vision and eye for goal. The 32-year-old is still capable of making those incisive runs in the final third, often contributing with his movement off the ball to open up the spaces.
To put things into perspective, Norwich would commit a huge blunder by letting one of their most high-profile players head for the exit door. Granted, they have done really well in the Championship this season without him but an experienced and versatile player like him can certainly help the club should they secure promotion to the Premier League.
Emiliano Buendia, Marco Stiepermann and Onel Hernández have played their part in Daniel Farke’s free-flowing attacking system but Teemu Pukki has shouldered the bulk of the goalscoring burden. While Jordan Rhodes and Pukki are certainly quality players, Norwich should keep hold of Naismith to provide cover and competition for the first-team players in the attacking third.
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That said, the Canaries should offer the Scottish veteran an extension to his current contract irrespective of whether they make it to the Premier League or not.
