Norwich boss Chris Hughton dipped back into the summer transfer market on Saturday evening to acquire the services of midfielder Leroy Fer from Dutch club FC Twente. The 23-year-old, who arrives at Carrow Road on a four-year contract, is believed to have cost the Canaries around £7m and is the club’s sixth new signing over the close season as Hughton strengthens his squad in an attempt to improve upon last term’s eleventh place finish.
Fer – whose mooted move to Everton last winter was cancelled after he failed a medical – sailed through the Canaries assessment and will now join up with Hughton’s side once he receives international clearance. In an interview with the club’s official website, the Norwich boss was clearly delighted with his new acquisition:
“We are really pleased to have acquired the signature of a player with the qualities that Leroy has. He’s a very versatile Dutch international and at 23 he has that pleasing balance of having acquired experience playing over 100 games in the Dutch League – but still having plenty of time ahead of him to continue his development as a player here with us at Norwich City.”
The History
A product of the Feyenoord youth academy, Fer was handed a first-team opportunity midway through the 2007-08 season as an 18-year-old. After establishing his place as a regular, he went on to play 103 times in the Eredivisie for the club, producing 14 goals and 12 assists, before he was picked up by FC Twente just prior to the closure of the 2011 summer transfer window in a deal believed to be around the €5m mark.
Fer then spent two full seasons at FC Twente and despite being utilised as a defensive midfielder, still managed to chip in with 13 goals and seven assists over 52 league appearances. In Europe, in particular, his contribution was key, with six goals and a pair of assists during Twente’s Europa League run last term. On the international stage, Fer has featured at every level from Under 17 to Under 21 a total of 50 times, finding the net on 10 occasions, including two goals in four appearances at this summer’s Euro Under 21 Championships. He has also represented the senior Dutch side on a couple of occasions.
The Prospects
Nicknamed “The Bouncer”, the six foot two Fer will add a real presence to the Norwich central midfield. While he’s versatile enough to play in “the hole” and has even featured as emergency right-back for Feyenoord, it’s a fair assumption that he’s been purchased as a defensive midfielder and should jump ahead of the likes of Bradley Johnson, Alex Tettey and Johnny Howson in the first-team pecking order.
While Norwich were defensively decent last term from a Fantasy perspective, with 10 clean sheets accrued, Hughton will still be looking to address a record which saw the Canaries concede 58 times in his first season at the helm. Fer’s physical attributes look tailor-made for the Premier League, with a decent disciplinary record of just eight yellow cards in the last three seasons suggesting he’s timely in the challenge, too.
Fer’s attacking output will also be key to his guaranteed game time. Bearing in mind that Johnson, Tettey and Howson managed a mere three strikes between them all season, Norwich certainly need to improve upon a measly 41 goals in 2012/13 – a tally only better than Stoke and QPR, with 34 and 30 respectively.
Yet to be added to either the Sky Sports game or the Sun Dream Team, Fer is expected to come in around the 5.5 mark in Fantasy Premier League (FPL). Despite a strong opening schedule which sees Hughton’s men host Everton, Southampton and Villa and travel to Hull in the opening five Gameweeks, the Dutchman is likely to struggle for our attention – with Robert Snodgrass priced at 6.5, the former Leeds man looks the obvious candidate in the Norwich midfield after registering 152 points last time out. Fer’s installation in Hughton’s starting XI could see him benefit from the new FPL bonus system, however, and should also bode well for their defensive resilience in the season ahead, making the Norwich backline options just that little bit more enticing.
