According to the latest reports from Hull Daily Mail, Norwich City have taken Arsenal’s young winger Josh Martin on trial at Carrow Road. Martin had come up from the Gunners’ Hale End academy and signed with the Gunners on scholarship terms in the summer of 2018.
However, the youngster has failed to get much game time at the youth level and made just one appearance at the u-18 Premier League competition against Aston Villa.
The 17-year-old has already featured for the Canaries against the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion and Fulham. Norwich would hope that they can see enough in the youngster to give him a professional contract. It seems likely that Martin would struggle to make the cut at Arsenal. Therefore, the next few weeks could be crucial for the 17-year-old winger.
Norwich have made some shrewd signings ever since Daniel Farke took over at the club and they are reaping the rewards this season. The Canaries might have finished 14th in the last season, but they continued with Farke and what a decision that has turned out to be as Norwich currently occupy the top spot on the table.
Farke’s knowledge of the German league saw him bring the likes of Christoph Zimmermann, Timm Klose and Marco Stiepermann. Along with that, they signed a gem in the form of Teemu Pukki for free. All these smart signings have helped the club in achieving major success this season as they have surprised all the pundits by fighting for the direct promotion spots.
It is clear that Martin is being eyed for the future and he is not yet a finished product at the moment. Therefore he might take a few years before he can reach the big stage. Given the competition at Arsenal and at other top clubs, young players are sometimes better off moving to other clubs where they can get regular game time to improve themselves and develop their game. Norwich are in strong position to move to the Premier League by next season. Therefore, that should also attract the youngster into making a move.
Martin has decent ball carrying abilities and for a 17-year-old, he showcases top-notch pass picking skills. There is no doubt that the English winger will be keen to impress on his trial so that he catches the eye of the Norwich coaches. If he manages to impress, he is likely to go through the vigours of youth and reserve football before he can eye a move at the senior level.
