Why Jorge Grant would be a useful signing for Norwich City in January
Back in November, a report from TEAMtalk (h/t The Pink’Un) had mentioned Norwich City among the potential suitors for Lincoln City midfielder Jorge Grant. Championship rivals Brentford, Swansea and Reading were also understood to be keeping tabs on the 25-year-old with a view to a potential transfer swoop in January.
Profile
Jorge Grant started his footballing education at Reading and spent time at the Nike Academy before joining Nottingham Forest. He graduated from the youth ranks at the City Ground to make his first-team debut in 2014 but managed only 20 appearances for the Reds over five seasons.
The versatile midfielder had a couple of loan spells at Notts County in League Two, followed by stints at Luton Town and Mansfield Town in the Football League. Grant departed Nottingham Forest on a permanent basis to join Lincoln City in the summer of 2019 and made 38 appearances in all competitions during his debut season at Sincil Bank last term.
Grant has caught the eye of several clubs higher up the ladder with his impressive start to the 2020-21 campaign for the Imps. The 25-year-old has accumulated 7 goals and 2 assists in 14 League One appearances for Lincoln City so far, featuring as a central midfielder and also out wide on the left.
Grant would add more firepower to the Canaries’ attack
Norwich City currently find themselves in the mix for automatic promotion after an impressive start to the ongoing campaign in the Championship. Daniel Farke’s side have scored 19 goals while conceding 14 in 15 league fixtures so far, which make for some decent readings on paper.
The Canaries, though, should look to bolster their attack with some additional firepower when the market reopens in January. Teemu Pukki has shouldered the bulk of the goalscoring workload, scoring 7 goals in 13 appearances in the Championship this season. But Norwich have lacked significant contribution from some of the other attackers in their ranks, which explains why they have been outscored by promotion rivals Reading, Bournemouth and Brentford.
Summer signing Przemmyslaw Placheta has scored only once in 13 appearances while Onel Hernandez and Kieran Dowell have both gone missing due to injuries. Todd Cantwell has also had his fair share of struggles with injuries, making only 5 league appearances so far. Norwich would be wise enough to line up some wide attacking alternatives
Putting things into context, Norwich City should try to take advantage of Jorge Grant’s unresolved contract situation at Lincoln City. The former Nottingham Forest star’s current deal at Sincil Bank expires at the end of the season, leaving the door open for the Canaries to line him up on a cut-price deal.
The 25-year-old boasts of the versatility to operate in both central midfield and wide attacking roles. With plenty of doubts over Norwich’s options on the flanks, Grant would be a handy addition to the ranks at Carrow Road for the second half of the campaign.
Read more
- Why Norwich City should keep hold of Teemu Pukki amidst interest
- Why Norwich City made the right decision by signing Przemyslaw Placheta
Verdict
Jorge Grant might have failed to make a big impression in the Championship earlier in his career but his impressive start to the season in League One should be enough to warrant him a return to the second tier. The midfielder still has his best years ahead of him, meaning that Norwich would bag a real coup if they manage to nab him on the cheap in January.
