Why Norwich City should make a move for Jerome Onguene in January

Back in August 2016, highly-respected Ligue 1 journalist Andrew Gibney had claimed that then-Sochaux defender Jerome Onguene was set for a move to Norwich City. However, a deal didn’t materialize.

A product of the Sochaux academy, Jerome Onguene, 21, made his debut for the French club back in 2014/15 season. He spent three seasons with Sochaux, managing 58 appearances across all competitions.

The right-footed centre-back was part of the France squad that won the Under-19 European Championships a few years ago.

Onguene left Sochaux and moved to Stuttgart in 2016 but the German club loaned him to Red Bull Salzburg, where he scored five goals in 22 appearances in six months.

The defender spent the second half of the 2017/18 season on loan with FC Liefering, managing just three appearances. In June 2018, Onguene moved permanently to RB Salzburg.

The 21-year-old has been a regular fixture at Salzburg, helping the club clinch Champions League qualification this term, although they failed to get past their group and will now compete in the Europa League.

The defender has already made 17 appearances across all competitions this season. With Onguene impressing in Austria, Norwich City should renew their interest in him when the transfer window reopens.

After gaining promotion to the top-flight last season, Norwich have struggled and are facing the danger of relegation. They have one of the weakest defences in the league thus far.

Ben Godfrey has been a fixture in the Norwich defence since the start of the campaign but he has lacked a reliable partner beside him. Christoph Zimmermann hasn’t looked at his best since returning from injury, while Timm Klose is out injured and won’t be back until next year.

With their troubles at the back blatantly visible, Daniel Farke should bring in a new defender who could stem the inflow of goals and save them from relegation.

More Norwich City News:

• Why Macauley Bonne would be a smart signing for Norwich City
• Why Jarrod Bowen could be a real coup for Norwich City in January
• Why Norwich City would be wise to drop their interest in Tommaso Pobega

With that in mind, Jerome Onguene would be a good addition to the Norwich backline. Despite being just 21, Onguene has solid experience and could transform Farke’s defence.

Standing at 6ft 3in, the Cameroon-born defender possesses the qualities to make a difference. He certainly has the height and physicality to cope with the hustle and bustle of Premier League football.

Verdict

Norwich must prioritise strengthening their backline if they are to stay in the top-flight and hence, signing Onguene would be a smart move in the winter transfer window.