Norwich City Opinion: Canaries should offer Ben Godfrey a long-term deal as soon as possible
According to Sky Sports, Ben Godfrey is close to agreeing on a new five-deal with newly-promoted club Norwich City, with reports claiming that the Canaries are keen to secure the long-term future of the promising 21-year-old defender.
Godfrey signed a three-year deal last summer but the England U-20 international is expected to put pen to paper on fresh and improved terms which could keep him at Carrow Road until the summer of 2024. (h/t Sky Sports)
The 21-year-old was an ever-present at the back for Daniel Farke’s side in the Championship this past season, as the Canaries secured automatic promotion back to the Premier League as the winners of the Championship following a three-year exile from the top-flight.
Godfrey made a total of 36 appearances for Norwich City last term, scoring on 4 occasions and assisting a further couple in the process.
The 21-year-old earned rave reviews for his consistently impressive displays at the back in the Championship and his talent and potential didn’t go unnoticed, with the Canaries seemingly desperate to fend off interest from the likes of Man United, Spurs and Ligue 1 outfit Lyon by securing the youngster’s future. (h/t Sky Sports)
The centre-back’s impressive run of form earned him a call-up to the England U-20 squad for fixtures against Portugal and Poland back in March. Godfrey eventually made his debut in the 3-1 defeat at the hands of Poland.
Godfrey played for the likes of Middlesbrough and York City earlier in his career before joining Norwich in the Premier League back in January 2016. He featured largely for the Canaries academy sides in his first season before making his senior debut for the club in the EFL Cup at the start of the 2016-17 season. The starlet made a couple of substitute Championship appearances in the same campaign before joining Shrewsbury Town in League One on a season-long loan deal.
Godfrey’s growth and development impressed manager Daniel Farke, who was happy to keep him as part of the first-team right from the start of the 2018-19 season. The 21-year-old repaid his manager’s faith and grabbed the opportunities to quickly establish himself as one of the mainstays of the Canaries’ backline. The York-born defender gradually went from strength to strength and the quality of his performances often kept more established players like Timm Klose and Grant Hanley out of the team.
The 21-year-old showcased a level of maturity that defied his tender years, both in terms of ball-playing abilities and composure in possession. Godfrey never looked afraid, shaken or out of place in his first full season in the Championship and that was one of the reasons why he retained his place in the starting eleven.
Godfrey averaged 51.8 passes per game in the Championship last season at an accuracy percentage of 89.7, including 2.1 long balls, 2 aerial duels, 1.1 tackles and 3.5 clearances. To sum it up, the 21-year-old’s calm, composed and mature defending at the back paved the way for the attackers to play with a lot of freedom up front.
To put things into perspective, Godfrey’s links with clubs like Man United and Spurs indicate his rapid development and one would certainly expect him to make the step up to the Premier League in due course of time. The 21-year-old has done enough to earn a long-term contract with improved terms at Carrow Road and it should be a no-brainer for the Canaries to secure his future at the earliest, given that he is a very talented individual with loads of potential.
It is true that spending another season in the Championship would have allowed him to home his skills under relatively less pressure but exposure to the Premier League at this stage of his career shouldn’t do him much harm. In fact, playing in the highly competitive atmosphere of the top-tier against some of the best players in the world might as well work wonders for his development.
Norwich need to bring in some experienced heads this summer to enhance their chances of thriving in the Premier League but, at the same time, it is also necessary for them to hold on to those players who played a key role in their promotion-winning campaign.
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Godfrey certainly falls within that bracket and Norwich need to offer him fresh terms as soon as possible, given that the 21-year-old could go on to become one of the mainstays of their backline for years to come.
