Norwich City: Paul Lambert predicted goals after transfer - he replicated Leeds record | OneFootball

£2million proved a snip for the midfielder that went on to boast a record of a goal every eight games for Norwich City

Football can produce many surprises, be it cupsets, shock title wins, and transfers out of the blue.

With nothing guaranteed in the beautiful game, it is always welcome to see a signing pan out as predicted.

Norwich City fans will agree with the sentiment after the success of Jonny Howson’s move from Leeds United in January 2012 – with the midfielder providing the goals he was expected to bring to Carrow Road.

Jonny Howson signing was spot-on recruitment for Norwich City

Midway through the 2011/12 Premier League season, Norwich City were sitting pretty in 11th.

Manager Paul Lambert was keen to improve the squad in order to further cement his side in the Premier League during their first season following promotion from the Championship.

Lambert identified that his side were lacking in one key area – missing goals from their midfielders.

The Canaries were heavily reliant upon talismanic striker Grant Holt, who had plundered seven of Norwich’s 28 league goals heading into the January transfer window.

As such, they cast their net in hopes of snaring an attacking midfielder, settling upon Leeds United’s Jonny Howson.

The midfielder had come through the ranks at Elland Road to become captain of his boyhood club, notching 28 goals in 225 appearances between 2006 and 2012.

Norwich were able to capitalise upon the fact that Howson wanted Premier League football – and the fact that he was into the final months of his Leeds deal, with no interest in signing a new contract.

That meant the Canaries only had to part with a reported £2million to secure the services of Howson, much to the delight of Lambert.

Lambert was quoted by the BBC at the time saying: "He can add goals to our midfield, which I think we need.

"He'll get better as a player the higher the level he goes up. If he does that he'll be a great player for us."

Speaking before Howson was a Norwich City player, Lambert explained how the midfielder perfectly fit the bill in what he was looking for to bolster his side.

"He's been brilliant for Leeds and we need a goalscoring midfielder," the Scot shared.

"If everything goes well he'll be great for us."

It turned out Lambert had identified the right man for the job. Although Howson would score just once in his debut season as a Canary, he would go on to score 23 times in 188 appearances – a respectable average of a goal roughly every eight games.

On top of his own goals, Howson also performed his midfield duties by providing a further 20 assists.

Swapping Leeds United for Norwich City was correct move in hindsight for Jonny Howson

In truth, Howson’s decision to push for Premier League football was justified.

Leeds would have to wait another eight years to reach the top flight, by which stage Howson had already racked up 104 Premier League appearances.

And Howson was not alone in thinking that remaining at Leeds would hamper his career progression.

The midfielder was one of four key players to swap Leeds for Norfolk during the early 2010s.

Upon his arrival at Carrow Road, Howson was reunited with midfield partner Bradley Johnson, who had joined the Canaries as a free agent following the expiry of his Leeds United contract in the summer of 2011.

The pair were joined by former teammate Robert Snodgrass the following summer, when Norwich raided Leeds once more for the Scottish winger in a deal worth a reported £3million.

Ironically, Snodgrass had been named Howson’s successor as Leeds captain upon the midfielder’s departure, before following his ex-teammate to Norwich.

Norwich returned to shop at Leeds for a fourth straight window in January 2013, signing cult hero Luciano Becchio in a swap deal with Steve Morison – and £200,000 – going the other way.

Now 36, Howson is still playing, now operating in a deeper role for Middlesbrough, where he has made over 300 Championship appearances and adapted his game brilliantly after leaving his goalscoring box-to-box days behind him.