"It's a bit of a joke" - Burnley questioned for Josh Sargent, Norwich City transfer approach | OneFootball

FLW's Canaries fan pundit has laughed off the proposed deal, which would have seen his side take £1.5 million initially for Josh Sargent

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

It's been revealed that Burnley made a move to sign the current Championship top scorer, Josh Sargent, but their offer was way off the mark.

Alan Nixon revealed that a £10 million package was tabled, which would have seen Norwich coup just £1.5 million initially for their star forward, with add-ons taking it to an eight-figure fee.

Given that the American has improved tenfold since his arrival for £8 million back in 2021, offering anything even close to that amount would be seen as ridiculous, let alone a deal which could see Norwich lose out on making a profit, if these add-ons weren't met.

Sargent has scored in every game so far this season in both cup and league action, showing that, when fit, he is without a doubt one of, if not the best, strikers in the second tier.

Football League World's Norwich fan pundit, Zeke Downes, labelled the offer "a joke" and can't see why clubs outside the Championship are undervaluing him so much.

Although he welcomes these lowball fees, as they meant the Canaries stood in better stead to keep him past the transfer deadline, which they successfully did.

Norwich City fan pundit reacts to Burnley's £10 million Josh Sargent offer

When told about Burnley's proposed £10 million offer, which was composed of £1.5 million up front and £8.5 million in further add-ons, Downes said: "I don't know if you've missed a zero off of that...£1.5 million and £8.5 million add-ons? Surely that's a joke!"

"If it were £15 million plus £8.5 million, then it would make more sense, but it's a bit of a joke really.

"People are undervaluing him and not realising how good he is, which is probably a good thing for us, because it means we can keep him."

There haven't been many better players in the Championship over the past few seasons than the American. Injuries have taken their toll, but he managed 16 goals in 26 appearances two seasons ago and then 15 in 32 last term.

So far this year, he's netted in every single game he's played, scoring five in the first four Championship outings as well as one in the EFL Cup, too. If he can stay fit throughout the whole season, he'll be a shoo-in for the division's golden boot.

On why clubs may be undervaluing the 25-year-old, Downes said: "I think a lot of clubs have got pictures in their minds of what he was like in the Premier League, but he was new to the league, very young and playing on the wing, so he didn't do very well.

"At the point he is now, he's a very good striker, one that's better than Armando Broja, I'd say, who Burnley ended up going for. Maybe that's because he's a Chelsea player, and Sargent's a Norwich player, so he can't be that good, right?

"His international record (five goals in 29 games) isn't great either, but as a country, the USA is not good and has no service for him; they just play through Pulisic and hope something happens; Sargent barely gets a sniff."

Downes feels that this undervaluing can only be a positive thing for Norwich, who are smart enough not to sell their most prized asset for way below market value.

"Championship clubs know how much he's worth, they know he's the best striker in the division, and he's proven that with the start to this season," he concluded.

"If other clubs don't understand how much he's worth, that's their loss."

Josh Sargent's goals will be key to a play-off push for Norwich City

Perhaps Sargent's recent injury history could be holding clubs higher up the pyramid from dropping the big bucks to bring in the American, but for Norwich, if they can keep him fit this season, he'll be a big part player in a potential play-off campaign under Liam Manning.

He's scored 31 goals in the 58 games he's played in the last two seasons combined, and if he can carry that record of more than one goal every other game into a campaign where he stays fully fit, then clubs in the Premier League will be sure to realise why their offers keep getting rejected for the 25-year-old.

Sargent has scored five times already in the Championship, accounting for 83% of Norwich's goals so far through four games. If he can keep up his insane scoring numbers, while the rest of his teammates chip in with goals here and there, the Canaries could be a contender for a top-six finish.