Preston North End fell flat with ‘explosive’ Cardiff City star - Norwich City must’ve been laughing | OneFootball

Josh Murphy failed to live up to the £11m price tag from his move to Cardiff City

Norwich City earned a huge £11 million fee for Josh Murphy from Cardiff in 2018, but by 2021, he was being shipped out on loan for what ended up being a very underwhelming spell at Preston North End.

The Bluebirds paid an eight-figure sum for the winger following his impressive 2017/18 campaign for the Canaries, where he scored seven goals and notched three assists for Daniel Farke’s side as they finished an underwhelming 14th in the Championship.

Murphy's form saw him attract interest from Cardiff and Neil Warnock, who had just won promotion to the Premier League, and it led to the big-money deal happening.

But three years with the Bluebirds saw him struggle to recapture his Canaries form, with Cardiff suffering relegation from the Premier League in his first season since moving from Carrow Road.

Murphy registered just three goals and two assists in the top flight as he failed to live up to the expectations set by the eight-figure price tag, and by 2021, he had been reduced to just 12 league starts in the 2020-21 campaign, and was subsequently loaned out to Championship rivals Preston North End in September 2021.

Josh Murphy struggled in his Preston North End loan stint

In truth, Murphy's move to Deepdale didn't make much sense given he was an out and out winger, and then-head coach Frankie McAvoy set his side out with a back three and wing-backs - something which didn't suit his new signing.

Murphy managed just 12 appearances in total for the Lilywhites in 2021/22, failing to start on a single occasion.

In his 12 outings in the Championship for the Lancashire outfit, he also was unable to score a single goal or provide any assists, which went down with a complete and utter whimper.

PNE ended up earning a solid mid-table finish that year, coming 13th in the table after sacking McAvoy in Dedcember 2021 and appointing Plymouth Argyle boss Ryan Lowe, but Murphy was only a bit-part of both managers' plans.

McAvoy was excited by his signing that summer, citing his “explosive pace” as a key part of his game.

But an ankle injury in October kept Murphy on the sidelines for the best part of four months, meaning his first appearance under Lowe didn’t come until March 2022.

Murphy came off the bench in a 2-1 win against Bournemouth, playing the final quarter of an hour against the eventual runners-up in the league, but he played a total of just 106 minutes under Lowe before the season was over - he too decided to use a wing-back formation that wasn't to suit the wide man.

Norwich City thrived without Josh Murphy - Murphy himself has gone on to better things

Norwich may have finished 14th under Farke in Murphy’s final season at Carrow Road, but the team took off in the following year after his exit.

Teemu Pukki’s arrival from Brondby proved a masterstroke, with the Finn powering the team to the Premier League, whilst money was used to sign Emi Buendia in what was another big hit of a deal.

The Canaries clinched the Championship title in the process, returning to the top flight while Murphy slipped out of the division with Cardiff.

The £11 million received from his sale was put to good use, with Farke’s side going from 60 points earned in 2018 to an impressive 94 in 2019.

While Norwich also only spent one year in the Premier League, they did return again in 2021, while Cardiff struggled to contend for their place back in the top flight, and they were eventually relegated to League One in 2025.

Murphy was able to rebound from his disappointing stints with the Welsh outfit and at Preston by enjoying two solid seasons at Oxford United, notching a League One play-off final brace against Bolton Wanderers to help the U's to promotion, before moving to Portsmouth for a fresh start, and it's a place where he's found his quality again.

But there is no doubt that Norwich had the last laugh with his £11 million move, as Murphy has been unable to reach the heights that made him a top flight player for one year.