Norwich signalled their ambitions for the upcoming campaign back in March with the announcement that Ricky Van Wolfswinkel is to join the Carrow Road club for a fee in the region of £8.5m. The 24-year-old Dutchman arrives on a four-year-deal and will bolster a side that scored just 41 goals last season, the third lowest tally in the Premier League:
Having teetered in the brink of relegation prior to Gameweek 37, the Canaries ended in eleventh spot after back-to-back wins over West Brom and City in their final two games of the season. Looking to build upon his debut campaign, Chris Hughton was clearly delighted by the club’s new record signing:
“It’s a real exciting period for us and certainly we have to thank the club very much for their support and their ambition on this one. He fits the profile very well, in an area we wanted to bring in, in the forward area, there’s a wonderful goals record. And he also is of an age that there is still that development in him, so it’s a very exciting one for us and we certainly look forward to seeing him at the end of the season. We all know how difficult it is to bring in the right players and goals are so valuable to come by. He is a player who wants to run forward, he is a player that wants to get into the box and as I said, he’s a player that very much has, because of his age, there’s still improvement in him. A real exciting prospect for us.”
The Statistics
Starting his career with Vitesse Arnhem, Van Wolfswinkel made his debut as a late sub against Sparta Rotterdam at the end of the 2007-0 campaign. Established as a first-team regular the following season, he produced eight goals and an assist from 32 appearances before being snapped up by FC Utrecht.
Van Wolfswinkel’s first year in his new surrounds saw him fetch 11 goals and three assists in 35 appearances (including Eredivisie play-off matches) before an improvement harvested 15 goals and three assists in just 29 appearances in 2010/11. His exploits – which also included a hat-trick against Glasgow Celtic in the Europa League – persuaded Sporting Lisbon to splash the cash, with Van Wolfswinkel making his way to Portugal in a €5.4m deal.
The Dutchman produced double figure returns in both his seasons in Lisbon, producing a total of 26 goals and a couple of assists from 54 league appearances. Van Wolfswinkel also continued to impress on the European scene – his nine goals in 20 Europa League appearances are indicative of his penalty-box abilities.
The Prospects
Van Wolfswinkel’s arrival could well pose problems for fellow Norwich forwards Grant Holt and Luciano Becchio for the season ahead. Hughton’s preference for a lone striker system saw him start with two up front on just six occasions last time out, with a 4-4-1-1 proving his default formation in his first campaign in charge of the Canaries. Certainly, this would suit the new boy, who has been utilised as a lone forward over his time in Portugal – either in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 – with great effect.
While Holt finished the season strongly, with strikes in each of the last three Gameweeks, a return of eight goals from 34 appearances sums up Norwich’s need for extra firepower. Indeed, Holt was the club’s top scorer, with Robert Snodgrass and Anthony Pilkington chipping in with six and five goals respectively from the flanks. Wes Hoolahan’s contribution from the role in “the hole” was minimal –a mere three goals from 33 appearances is indicative of his lack of impact and, as Hughton looks to build his side around the new boy, his starting role must surely be under scrutiny.
Although he stands 6 foot 1, Van Wolfswinkel is no Christian Benteke or Romelu Lukaku – relatively slight in stature by comparison, he relies more on his pace on the shoulder of the last defender and movement in the box to sniff out chances. Aside from a poor spot-kick conversion rate, his coolness in the box will surely benefit the Canaries’ attacking potential and with Snodgrass the key creator, the chance of low double figures looks realistic. Likely to come in around the mid-price level across Fantasy games – 6.0 to 6.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) – he’s certainly one to watch and, as Snodgrass’ 152 FPL points showed last time out, there’s still some potential for Fantasy value at Carrow Road.
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