Chris Hughton continued to add to the Norwich first-team squad yesterday after
signing Nathan Redmond on a four-year deal from Birmingham City. The 19-year-old makes his way Carrow Road in a deal believed to be around £3m and is the Canaries’ second new face of the summer, following the arrival of Ricky Van Wolfswinkel from Sporting Lisbon.
Having been handed his league debut by the former Blues boss back in 2010, the highly-rated teenager – who was also linked with a move to Swansea – was delighted to be reunited with Hughton once again…
“I’d probably say I’ve played some of my best football under him so far. He was very influential on my career at Birmingham. He gave me the chance to play and the chance to express myself every time that I stepped on to the field and I feel like on the bigger stage he’ll do exactly the same thing.”
The History
During his debut season, Redmond was tentatively eased into action at St Andrews. Making 19 of his 24 appearances from the bench, he grabbed five goals and a pair of assists as Hughton guided the midlands outfit to the Championship play-offs. Last time out, the youngster managed 22 starts and 16 sub appearances, returning a couple of goals and six assists under new boss Lee Clark. On the international stage, Redmond has represented England at every level from Under 16 to Under 21, producing four goals from 38 games.
The Prospects
Speaking to the club’s official website upon completion of the deal, Hughton admitted Redmond’s versatility is likely to be key over the season ahead. Predominantly right-footed, he also offers an option as an inverted winger on the opposite flank and could be utilised in “the hole” in the Canaries default 4-4-1-1 formation:
“Nathan is a young and exciting player that I had the pleasure of working with at Birmingham. He’s someone we can bring in to the forward areas and primarily has played on either wing in his career so far, but can also play off the front. He’s very keen to develop his own game, he’s one of these lads that likes to be on the training pitch and is usually one of the last ones off the training pitch. I’m sure the move won’t phase him but this is still a part of his development and one he is very much looking forward to.”
With Van Wolfswinkel looking set to be handed the lone forward role and Robert Snodgrass nailing down the right wing berth, Redmond should offer competition to Anthony Pilkington on the left and Wes Hoolahan as the most advanced midfielder behind Van Wolfswinkel. Bearing in mind his side notched just 41 times last time round, Hughton is in dire need of extra firepower in midfield – Hoolahan scored three times from 33 appearances (28 starts), while Pilkington was just a little more prolific with five strikes in 25 starts.
In terms of game time, much may also depend on whether the Canaries manage to capture summer target Ola Toivonen – the Swede would tuck in behind Van Wolfswinkel if he arrives from PSV Eindhoven, forcing Redmond to rely more on appearances from the bench unless he forces Pilkington down the pecking order on the left. Likely to be classified as a midfielder across the Fantasy games, Redmond should come in around 5.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) – potentially, he could be a decent mid-price option though concerns remain as to whether he will nail down a regular role or be tentatively eased into the first-team fold, with appearances as an impact sub late on in games either out wide or through the middle if Norwich move to two up front mid-match.
Hughton’s line-ups over pre-season should shed more light on the situation but with home games against Everton, Southampton and Villa in the first five Gameweeks, in addition to a trip to promoted Hull, the Canaries certainly have the platform to be quick off the mark. Whether Redmond can offer us a viable alternative to Snodgrass over those matches or, indeed, the season ahead is perhaps debatable, with the Scot remaining the most likely source of points in Hughton’s midfield.
Further Reference
Nathan Redmond Wikipedia
Nathan Redmond Transfer Markt Page
Nathan Redmond You Tube
