Norwich City have been one of those clubs who keep hopping around the first and second tiers of English football for quite some time now. Relegated from the Premier League last term, they find themselves in the Championship at the moment and are desperately aiming to get into the play-off spots. Currently five points behind the nearest playoff spot which is held by Sheffield Wednesday, the Canaries do have grounds to cover if they want to transform their aspirations into reality.
Alex Neil’s side have conceded quite a few goals this campaign and considering that their first-choice left back in the shape of Martin Olsson was sold to Premier League outfit, Swansea City, for £4 million earlier this month, there is an undeniable void in their ranks as far as this full-back slot is concerned. Frankly speaking, this position holds a paramount importance for any side in modern day football and thus, Neil has turned his head towards Sporting Lisbon’s Marvin Zeegelaar in the ongoing transfer window to replace Olsson.
With the contractual situation very close to being finalised, let’s decipher what Zeegelaar will actually bring with himself to the Carrow Road.
An Ajax youth product, the 26-year-old is widely recognised for his abilities to ply his trade as a winger and upon the requirements of the clubs he subsequently played for, he has then made the left-back role his own. It is owing to the fact that he has a left winger by trade that makes him a prolific attacker who makes full use of his offensive qualities. He is tall, resolute and has garnered a decent amount of experience whilst his tenure at Ajax, Sporting, Blackpool, Rio Ave etcetera.
The Yellows are really short of men on the left and Zeegelaar would be a welcome signing for the club who is in a dire need of personnel with quality. Of course, it would not be easy to fit into the shoes of Olsson, but giving a nod to a player who had been called-up for the Netherlands squad in the recent past implies that he does have the resilience in him to deliver.
As the season progresses to the crunch stages, Norwich City will have to tighten their loopholes and get the necessary ingredient and set themselves rolling before the transfer window shuts down and without any shadow of doubt, signing Zeegelaar would be one of the key steps they could take.
