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Norwich City will regret their failure to sign this 22-year-old La Liga defender and here is why

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Why Norwich City made a mistake by not signing Joris Gnagnon

According to a report from the Eastern Daily Press, Norwich City were interested in signing Sevilla defender Joris Gnagnon in the summer transfer window, but a move didn’t materialise.

Joris Gnagnon, 22, only joined Sevilla last summer from French side Rennes but he struggled to nail down a regular starting role in his debut season in Spain, making a total of 16 appearances in all competitions last term. 

And as the Frenchman wasn’t a part of manager Julen Lopetegui’s plans for this season, he has re-joined his former side Rennes on a season-long loan deal.

Norwich City, meanwhile, have not had an ideal start to the Premier League campaign, picking up just three points after the first three games. They have played some attractive football on the way but have looked very shaky at the back, conceding eight goals thus far.

Although the Canaries faced top teams like Liverpool and Chelsea so early in the campaign, the manner in which they conceded the goals should’ve worried Daniel Farke.

Farke signed only two central defenders in the summer—Ibrahim Amadou on loan from Sevilla and Rocky Bushiri from KV Oostende. Amadou made his Norwich bow in the shock Carabao Cup defeat to League Two side Crawley Town and did well.

He will now have a bigger part to play this season, as Timm Klose’s season could be over after picking up an ACL injury in midweek. Furthermore, Christoph Zimmermann was forced off after receiving a knock against Crawley.

Farke has preferred the central defensive partnership of Ben Godfrey and Grant Hanley in the league but they haven’t looked solid. Despite knowing defenders like Klose, Zimmermann and Hanley are injury prone, Farke made a mistake by signing only one senior central defender. The German tactician should have also signed Joris Gnagnon.

A product of the Rennes academy, Gnagnon’s impressive displays at the Ligue 1 club for the last couple of seasons saw him get snapped up by Sevilla last summer. But the move didn’t work out and he has returned to Rennes on a season-long loan.

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If Norwich would have signed him, Farke would have got a reliable centre-back with good technique and tackling traits. Gnagnon is fast, agile and a ball-playing defender with the potential to unlock.

Still 22, he is very much in his developmental years as a centre-back and Norwich could have had a future star on their hands if they signed him.

Verdict

The Canaries should have prioritised signing a few more players to their senior ranks in a bid to add more depth to their defensive options. All in all, Gnagnon could have been a smart addition at Carrow Road.