Norwich City should consider Chelsea swoop in January - Huddersfield Town hearts would be broken | OneFootball

The Canaries could really benefit from a move that could derail Huddersfield Town’s current League One hopes

Norwich City are still in the Championship relegation zone, but they are showing signs of life and positivity under new head coach Philippe Clement.

The 51-year-old Belgian has only been in charge of the Canaries for six games, but eight points picked up out of a possible 18, they are moving in the right direction on the pitch.

Last weekend's win over Southampton at Carrow Road was enough evidence that Clement may be the man to get the best ouf of the Norfolk outfit, but a bit more creativity in the final third - particularly in the number 10 role - would not go amiss, with defensive midfielder Jacob Wright currently occupying that role.

And they would be wise to look at a current League One star in January who is impressing on loan at Huddersfield Town, with Norwich's higher standing in the footballing pyramid potentially being used as a deciding factor.

Leo Castledine is impressing at Huddersfield Town - Norwich City should be keeping tabs

Huddersfield Town signed Leo Castledine on a season-long loan from Chelsea in the summer, with the youngster having had some experience in the third tier the previous season with Shrewsbury Town.

He made 26 appearances at Salop, scoring two goals in a struggling side that were relegated from League One come the end of the campaign, but that is nothing compared to what he’s managed with Huddersfield in just 22 outings in all competitions.

Castledine, splitting his time between his most natural position, the number 10 role, and out on both wings, currently stands as the club’s top scorer in the league with six goals, having also provided one assist.

Added to that, he’s scored in the Vertu Trophy and the Carabao Cup; in short, he has been crucial to Grant’s side so far this season.

But for teams with loan players in top form, January is undoubtedly the most stressful point in the season.

It’s common that the first month of the calendar year is the earliest point that the parent club can activate a recall clause, to allow them to make a decision about where the player will spend the second half of the season.

This sometimes happens when a loanee isn’t playing, but if things are going well, a parent club may still look to activate the recall clause, either to bring them into the first-team or to place them in at a higher level.

Given Castledine is proving to be one of the best players at Huddersfield, aged just 20, it seems he is now outgrowing that level and may need a greater test to further his development.

Norwich City have a clear vacancy that Leo Castledine could fill

Castledine is having a great season at League One level but he’s unlikely to be anywhere near Chelsea’s first-team thoughts, especially given the number and quality of senior professionals who are on the outskirts of the squad.

A middle ground is therefore needed, and Norwich could prove to be the perfect environment.

It has been a rough first half of the season for the Canaries, having shockingly slipped into the relegation zone under Manning, before he was replaced by Clement.

They’re only being kept off the foot of the table administration-stricken Sheffield Wednesday, and will surely look to use January to bolster their squad.

A key area for improvement is the number 10 role, with Clement seeming to prefer Wright for that position, a defensive midfielder by trade and not a natural fit, with the likes of Oscar Schwartau shifted out wide.

It is clearly not an ideal scenario, and an approach for Castledine would allow the likes of Wright to return to where he is more comfortable, provided that the Chelsea man takes to the second tier.

Castledine would find it difficult, jumping up a level to play for a side going through their worst struggle in recent memory, but that would likely improve his access to minutes, and help him develop in a challenging environment, around talented players like Josh Sargent.

It would be heartbreaking for Huddersfield, to lose such a key source of attacking output as they attempt to climb into the play-off places, but this is precisely why shared wisdom dictates that you should never fall in love with a loan player.