Norwich City greatest transfer need named following Ashley Barnes departure | OneFootball

The Canaries are in desperate need of a new striker, with Josh Sargent still out of action.

Norwich City's season has been plagued by inconsistency, and they have spent the majority of the campaign hovering around mid-table.

The Canaries have been involved in some of the most exciting games in the Championship so far, and they are currently the joint-second top scorers in the league alongside Middlesbrough, with only Leeds United finding the back of the net more.

Borja Sainz has been responsible for just over a third of the goals, scoring 15 times in 26 appearances for the Norfolk club this season.

However, an injury to Josh Sargent in November, and the departure of Ashley Barnes, who has now rejoined Burnley, has left Norwich light up front and Johannes Hoff Thorup may have his work cut out this January to find an answer to his new-found striker problems.

Norwich urged to bring in a new, clinical striker

Defensively, the Canaries do leak goals, but their lack of out-and-out centre-forwards will be a concern for Thorup, so it would not be a surprise to see this being targeted this month.

Sainz will continue to score goals, but it was clear that he played his best football alongside Sargent, and work must be done to bring in a replacement quickly.

Football League World has asked their Norwich Fan Pundit, Zeke Downes, what type of player he believes needs to be brought in during the transfer window, with his team's new issues at the forefront of his mind.

He told FLW: "I think the position that we most need to strengthen at the moment is striker, because we've just let Ashley Barnes go and Josh Sargent is still injured. Obviously, he is going to be coming back soon, but you never know how a player's going to be when they come back.

"Without Ashley Barnes, that means that we've got mostly utility-style players, that’s Ante Crnac, Onel Hernandez and Emiliano Marcondes, but none of them are strikers. It leaves us very light, but I don't know whether we are going to get another player to fill the role that Ashley Barnes had."

Zeke continued: "Personally, I think that's the most important position. But if we let go of Grant Hanley, we will probably then have to get a centre-back. So, I think it will depend on the movement that does end up happening in this window.

"But the striker needs to be like Sargent in terms of style of play. By that I mean a striker that runs behind defenders and is clinical. Obviously, that's a difficult player to find because everyone's after that, but because of how we play, I think we need another striker that can do that and get in behind the opposition defence."

Norwich's American striker played a crucial role during the first few months of the season, and although he is not a constant threat in front of goal, his link-up play with Sainz has been fantastic.

Sargent is excellent on the ball, and frequently causes issues for opposition defenders with his passing and ability to hold on to possession when under pressure.

Therefore, it is incredibly important that he comes back into the team quickly at this moment, but if Norwich can sign another striker, then it will allow the 24-year-old more time to get back to full fitness and sharpness.

He can be eased back into the team, and there will be less risk of a recurrence of the injury. The Canaries are still close enough to the play-off places to make a push for the top six, and with a match-ready Sargent, they will be able to close the gap and have a successful season.