Why Ibrahim Amadou could be a real coup for Norwich City
According to claims from Spanish news outlet Estadio Deportivo, as cited by The Eastern Daily Press, Norwich City are mulling over a move for Sevilla midfielder Ibrahim Amadou.
The same report claims that the Canaries are expected to face stiff competition for the 26-year-old’s signature from fellow Spanish club Getafe, whilst a few Bundesliga clubs have also registered an interest in the versatile defensive midfielder.
The Eastern Daily Press understands that Amadou is not a part of new manager Julen Lopetegui’s plans for the upcoming campaign and Sevilla are understood to be open to getting him off their books, with several clubs weighing up offers for the Frenchman.
The 26-year-old made a total of 32 appearances in all competitions for Sevilla in the previous campaign, having only made his move to the La Liga from French club Lille last summer.
Amadou started just 7 La Liga games for the Spanish heavyweights last season and was largely used as a substitute or on a rotational basis despite having arrived from Lille as an established player in Ligue 1.
Born in Cameroon, Amadou migrated to France at a very young age and rose through the youth ranks of AS Nancy, shooting to prominence with his boyhood club in Ligue 2 before earning a move to the top-flight with Lille in the summer of 2015.
Amadou made the step up to Ligue 1 quite comfortably and it wasn’t long before he managed to establish himself as one of the mainstays of Lille’s midfield, showcasing his versatility to play in multiple positions across the midfield as well as at the heart of the defence.
The 26-year-old made a total of 102 appearances for Lille over the course of three fruitful seasons before completing a switch to Sevilla.
Although he didn’t particularly reach great heights in his debut campaign in Spain, Amadou continues to be a good utility player capable of contributing a lot with his drive, determination, work ethics, stamina, accurate passing and ability to break up the play.
Essentially a central defensive midfielder by trade, Amadou is also adept at playing in a more attacking box-to-box role in the middle of the park as well as at the back in a central defensive role.
Amadou’s impressive range of passing and ability to win possession back with crucial interventions coupled with his aerial ability and physicality make him a robust and reliable presence at the back.
To put things into perspective, Norwich have every reason to look at Ibrahim Amadou as someone who could possibly provide Daniel Farke with quality cover in more than one area of the pitch.
While the Canaries might look at him as cover and competition for the likes of Tom Trybull, Mario Vrancic, Alex Tettey and Kenny McLean in central midfield, Amadou could also possibly fill in at the back in times of defensive crisis.
First-choice centre-back Christoph Zimmermann is expected to spend the opening few weeks of the season on the sidelines, having only come back from a knee injury, meaning Amadou’s arrival at Carrow Road would allow Farke the luxury of experimenting with his team dynamics to find a settled combination at the back.
Furthermore, Amadou has a lot of top-level experience under his belt and that might as well come handy for a newly-promoted side like Norwich.
A perfect balance of youth and experience is crucial to the success of any promoted side and the 26-year-old certainly seems to have the know-how and the skills to be an upgrade on the club’s existing options.
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Conclusion
Keeping the aforementioned factors in mind, Norwich should go all out in their pursuit of the former French youth international, as the deadline on Thursday looms large before the start of the season.