Norwich City hit the bullseye with Josh Sargent transfer twist - Liam Manning now has no excuses | OneFootball

Josh Sargent has remained at Carrow Road for at least the first part of this season, having been close to an exit this summer.

Josh Sargent has remained at Norwich City for at least the first half of this season after the United States international striker was heavily linked with a move away from Carrow Road this summer - and that decision could be a difference maker.

Norwich City have got off to an indifferent start to the new campaign. The Canaries have won two, drawn one and lost two in their opening five Championship games so far this season, with their most recent result being a 1-1 draw away to Coventry City.

As ever though, it has been one man who has shone brightest in Norfolk - that being American forward Sargent.

The Missouri-born striker is entering his fifth season at Carrow Road since joining from German Bundesliga side Werder Bremen in 2021 whilst Norwich were still in the Premier League.

However, he spent just one season in the English top flight before dropping to the Championship with Norwich, where he has proven himself to be goal machine at this level, which has naturally attracted interest from clubs elsewhere.

Josh Sargent remaining at the club provides Norwich City with stronger chance of promotion

It had been reported by The Athletic on July 14 that Sargent was in talks over a return to Germany to link up with VFL Wolfsburg, who had finished the previous season 11th in the Bundesliga.

However, a potential deal was snubbed by the centre-forward, and the 25-year-old has remained a Norwich City player until at least January 2026 at the very earliest.

Sargent signed a new deal with the Canaries in October 2023, extending his contract until the summer of 2028, meaning Norwich are in a strong position when it comes to negotiating a fee for their star forward.

The American has hit 49 goals and grabbed nine assists in 105 games in the Championship for Norwich, including five already this season, putting him joint-top of the scoring charts alongside compatriot and Coventry City striker Haji Wright.

Keeping a hold of Sargent this summer, by all accounts, provides the Canaries with a stronger chance of earning promotion this season in one capacity or another, whether that be automatically or via the play-offs.

Last season, Norwich succumbed to a disappointing 13th-place finish at the end after early promise in the campaign, with Sargent missing almost a third of the season through injury. Despite this, he still scored 15 goals and grabbed five assists in 32 league matches.

If Manning is to push his boyhood side into a promotion battle this season, keeping Sargent fit and firing, as well as retaining his services beyond the winter window, is imperative.

Norwich City manager Liam Manning has few excuses to not launch a play-off push with the Canaries

Despite seeing top scorer Borja Sainz leave the club this summer in a £14.25 million move to Portuguese giants FC Porto, few would argue that Norwich are in a weaker place compared to last season.

In have come the likes of Mathias Kvistgaarden, Papa Diallo, Mirko Topic and Jakov Medic for multi-million pound fees, whereas Sainz, Jonathan Rowe and Marcelino Nunez have all left the club for sizable money.

However, the best bit of business that Norwich have conducted this summer was not an incoming or outgoing, it was undoubtedly keeping Sargent at the club.

It would have been highly unlikely that the Canaries would have been able to adequately replace the American's output and all-round game at the top of the pitch before the end of the window, with the only other option in that role being Jovon Makama, who joined the club this summer from Lincoln City.

With the investment that has gone into building this squad twinned with Sargent remaining at the club, Manning, who guided Bristol City to a play-off place last season, has little excuse to not do the same with Norwich this season.

Should Sargent be kept fit for most of the campaign, unlike last season, then that chance of the top six significantly strengthens.